How I have fun with the ISS and other Satellites

Mar 01, 2015 4 Replies

Many years ago I found this site,

formatting link



And have used its info to go out in the early evening to view the International Space Station. Right now in my area all ISS views are in the morning, but that will change and we will have evening viewing again.



My best viewing was several years ago when I took my teen son to watch over an ocean view. When it came over the horizon I was unsure of the seen because there were actually two items in the sky moving tandem just a thumbs width apart at arms length apart. I wasn't sure anything was moving because they were moving together, no reference. But it didn't take but a few seconds to figure out they were both moving one following the other. I watched for the 6 or so minutes it takes to traverse the sky and we went home with me questioning what did I see. As you know google is your friend, I found the space shuttle had just undocked from the ISS and it landed in Florida at 9am the next morning. So we saw the Space Shuttle shortly after it left the ISS. Very cool!



The heavens-above site has many satellite orbits and other info. You need to sign in and put your log and lat in for proper orbit times.



Here are just some of the satellites listed, there are 200 listed but I don't think all are visible. Mikek


ISS



Tiangong 1



N. Korean satellite



Hubble Space Telescope



Envisat



Satellite database



Daily predictions for brighter satellites



Iridium Flares



Spacecraft escaping the Solar System



Amateur Radio Satellites - All Passes



Height of the ISS


Satellite explodes.

formatting link

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com

snip

wh-1689331289

The comments are pretty cool, and I DLd some of those images, and that gif file. Ha ha.

We need a sweeper satellite with "space velcro" on a panel facing debris as a matched orbit by the sweeper bird slows a bit to "catch" "a handful", and then sacrifice itself on a burning re-entry with its catches.

It would take billions of dollars and years, but we could slowly clean a good deal of it up, and even co-launch a few replacement birds with the sweepersat launches.

There will come a time when I will need to be done, even if it is just a certain orbit that is cleaned. Mikek

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required