International Space Station and STS-128

One of my favorite past times is watching the International Space Station fly overhead. Most evenings you can spot the space station just after sunset. With a little help from the internet, you can get get information on where to look and when. One of the best sites to get this information is called "Heavens Above". You can follow the link below to check it out.

Heavens-Above

On September 9th our family viewed the ISS flyover with Space Shuttle. The shuttle (STS-128) had just departed the ISS in preparation for its return to Earth on the 11th. The shuttle flew by first and was about minute ahead of the ISS. Traveling at 4.5 miles per second, that translates to roughly 270 miles.

The Space Shuttle (STS-128) passes through Ursa Major (Big Dipper)



The ISS is obviously brighter than the Shuttle as it fly's overhead. This is about a 25 second exposure.

The ISS passes through Cassiopeia and Andromeda. One cool thing about this picture is you can actually see M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) in this photo if you look real close!