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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