Sunday 2 June 2013

Better than hanging wall paper


Just checked my emails after watching the movie Pearl Harbour. When the Yanks go over the top the sure do it “Ad nauseam”. Something else the Yanks do is send me an email whenever the International Space Station will be visible from my back garden. This morning’s (early) email said it would be visible at 00:27. As it was just past midnight I went on one of many sites that show where the ISS is right now. At a minute or two past midnight it was just left S. America and was heading our way. The route would take it over Paris but at 200 miles up it would be visible but only if it wasn’t in the Earth’s shadow. Looking at the map of the route I noticed that it should come into the sunlight at 27 minutes past twelve. So it is a clear night so I’m off to see the space station.

Back in a few minutes.

Well there was a thin , hazy cloud cover that wasn’t there an hour ago and I checked the time, 00:26. I kept looking to the east, hoping to see it fly over. I mean this thing has just flown over the Atlantic in about 20 minutes and one thing about the ISS is, it is never late. It is travelling so fast it could do the trip from Brixham to Newton Abbot Bus Station in 3.25 seconds. Wouldn't be able to pick too many passengers up at that speed though.

Anyway, dead on time it appeared, not over the horizon but right in the middle of the sky. One second, nothing. Next second there it was bright as anything as it came out of the Earth’s shadow heading for Paris and beyond.

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