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Space Station Marathon Starting This Weekend

RobGoldsmith writes with this snippet from Space Fellowship: "If you've never seen a spaceship with your own eyes, now's your chance. The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times a day for many days in a row. No matter where you live, you should have at least a few opportunities to see the biggest spaceship ever built."

61 comments

  1. Re:Cool by Starlon · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Hot

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  2. Horrible picture in article by syousef · · Score: 2, Funny

    When I first saw the picture in the article I thought someone had posted some image of a fire and was trying to pass it off as a practical joke image of the space station hitting the ground and exploding for 4th July celebrations...

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    1. Re:Horrible picture in article by Antidamage · · Score: 1

      I saw the title and thought of the Bungie game. I got quite excited.

  3. Heavens Above by Flyer434 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Another source for flyby times for the ISS and more. Plus, no java required. http://www.heavens-above.com/

    1. Re:Heavens Above by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just a random coward, but I've been using the heavens-above site for a few months now. It's awesome.

  4. Can't figure this out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ISS (ZARYA)
    1 25544U 98067A 09184.86642361 +.00012880 +00000-0 +91914-4 0 01548
    2 25544 051.6386 221.2590 0007610 181.6169 171.2864 15.74178968608579

    space-track.org

  5. Flyby times by Starlon · · Score: 3, Informative

    As mentioned in the article, you can get fly-by information from Nasa's ISS tracker

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    1. Re:Flyby times by The+Grim+Reefer2 · · Score: 1

      Here's a good resource for ISS, Iridium flares, etc predictions: http://www.heavens-above.com/

      Set you location in the configuration section and it will give you the time, date, altitude, and azimuth for Iridium flares. The ISS coordinates are a little more vague, but it tends to be visible a little longer.

    2. Re:Flyby times by Snowblindeye · · Score: 4, Informative

      I like this site: n2yo. You can see the current position of the ISS, or get the 5 day flyover predictions with details If you click on 'draw' it will show you a graph for each pass, with blue where the station is in the shadow and yellow where it is in the light.

  6. Re:Cool by neokushan · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Hot...cold...hot...cold....together, I call them hold.

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  7. Why only the US? by neokushan · · Score: 3, Funny

    Curious, why does this seem to be a US only thing? I understand the reasoning behind the date - 4th of July weekend, but I do not recall anything like this happening for any other part of the world. Surely us weird Europeans should get a chance to look at it, as well? It IS the INTERNATIONAL Space Station, after all.

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    1. Re:Why only the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The good flybys are periodic: the station needs to be in the brief region of space where it's not in the penumbra or umbra of the earth, but is visible from points on the ground that are in darkness, so the sky does not overwhelm the reflection. That happens on every or nearly every orbit. But the parts of the earth that are lucky enough to have that view varies by time of year.

    2. Re:Why only the US? by Darth_brooks · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yep, us dastardly uh-mer-uh-can's have, using the power of our fourth grade math skills, manipulated the laws of orbital mechanics to give you yer-o-pee'ins the short end of the stick. U-S-A! U-S-A!

      The improved viewing lasts from the middle of July, including the days leading up to the Endevour ink-up through the end of the month. RTFA.

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    3. Re:Why only the US? by michaelhood · · Score: 5, Funny

      Tell you what- you bring the Eiffel Tower or the Tower of Pisa by, and I'll let you take a look at the International Space Station.

    4. Re:Why only the US? by nedlohs · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes because rather than being the chance of the position of the sun, the earth, the ISS, and their orbits, it's a conspiracy by Americans.

      They make sure it doesn't pass over Europe - makes for some rather hard orbital mechanics - magical ones even as it makes hard turns in its orbit to avoid a continent- but well worth it!

    5. Re:Why only the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yuo got it all wrong

      They have to pass over the US more often because they need to dump their poo, got to empty those Russian letrines get it?

    6. Re:Why only the US? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You already have the Eiffel Tower in Vegas. And, as a someone living in Pisa, you can take the tower any time. Just make sure you take all the people taking cheesy pictures holding the tower with you.

  8. Wolfram Alpha can help! by neiras · · Score: 5, Informative

    For instance:

    http://www92.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=iss+rise+vancouver ...gives you the next ISS flyover for Vancouver, BC.

    1. Re:Wolfram Alpha can help! by chaseneb · · Score: 4, Informative

      http://www47.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=iss This link works slightly better as it will use geolocation based upon your ip address.

    2. Re:Wolfram Alpha can help! by Auntie+Virus · · Score: 1

      I proxy through Honduras, you insensitive clod!

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  9. When it passes overhead, be quick about it! by Kligat · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can use NASA's satellite finder to view the time when it will pass over your city.

    I looked it up for Mexico City and there are two great citing opportunities there, five or six minutes long. Vancouver has over a dozen, better than in my city, and Toronto has many sighting opportunities as well. Suffice it to say, the best ones will likely be from 8 to 11pm local time, and the ISS will be only available for five or six minutes at most.

    The last time the ISS flew over my city, I was ready at hand with my dinky 70mm telescope, which I've had a lot of trouble being able to steady despite having it for a year. By the time I had the knobs adjusted right such that it wouldn't slide down as I put my eye to it, I had to run with my telescope after it to a better spotting place before it disappeared with the horizon. It appeared in my viewfinder as two distinct overlapping yellow blurs, but I'm sure I saw it and this time I'd like to try again with a camera.

    1. Re:When it passes overhead, be quick about it! by gringofrijolero · · Score: 2, Funny

      I looked it up for Mexico City and there are two great citing opportunities there...

      Good luck seeing it through the smog.. I kid! I kid! I love Mexico City. The food is great. Try the pastor.

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    2. Re:When it passes overhead, be quick about it! by gringofrijolero · · Score: 1

      Troll?! Do you even know what the hell pastor is? What a maroon..

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    3. Re:When it passes overhead, be quick about it! by asylumx · · Score: 1

      Why is the parent modded "Troll"?

    4. Re:When it passes overhead, be quick about it! by gringofrijolero · · Score: 1

      The moderation itself was a Troll. And the moderator, not having the slightest clue that I used to live in D.F., well...

      And to me, it's kinda ironic because I love the place. Ah pues, ni modo...

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  10. Biggest spaceship? by gmuslera · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Here you have bigger ones (IIS should not count even as a spot compared with the size of i.e. ringworld). But if we put "in the real world, as far as we know", yeah, could be the biggest so far.

    1. Re:Biggest spaceship? by Sarten-X · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "the biggest non-fictional spacecraft manufactured by humans on the planet Earth within recorded history, known to the public to exist prior to the writing of this article" doesn't have quite the same ring to it...

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  11. bad weather by joyfeather · · Score: 2

    And, of course, in the normal way of life, we are predicted to have clouds and rain for the next few days. Seems to always happen whenever there is something cool going on in the sky!

  12. So when... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    does Durandal go crazy and try to get us to kill his intergalactic foes? Where's my fusion pistol?

    1. Re:So when... by peragrin · · Score: 1

      screw the fusion pistol, give me dual double barreled sawed off shotguns. tis a feature not repeated in any FPS and one I miss. The perfect short range combination.

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  13. Doesn't the ISS orbit the earth every 90 mins? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Seems to me this would be a fairly common occurrence, as it orbits the earth many times a day, every day, all the time.

    1. Re:Doesn't the ISS orbit the earth every 90 mins? by Proofof.+Chaos · · Score: 3, Informative

      True, but the Earth is very big and the ISS flies less than 200 miles above it; so you can only see it when it flies within a few hundred miles of straight over your head. Also, the light has to be just right. Its only visible when the sun is not shining where you are, but is shining on the station. That's why the best time to see any satellites is near dusk or dawn. The point of the article is that conditions will be just right more often than usual this month, giving us less than amateur astronomers (especially people living in cloudy areas) a better chance of seeing it.
      I went to http://www.n2yo.com/ and found that it will be flying straight over my head and be very bright in a couple of days.

    2. Re:Doesn't the ISS orbit the earth every 90 mins? by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

      That's why the best time to see any satellites is near dusk or dawn.

      And why it's so easy to upset a small child making a wish upon a star by telling them they're wishing on a satellite.

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  14. Anonymous Coward by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    This is the website where you find the latest sighting opportunities for your location.

    http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

    Go to +REALTIME DATA / Sighting Opportunities then, choose your country and the rest should be self explanatory, at least for the United States which is all I have used this website for :)

    1. Re:Anonymous Coward by haifastudent · · Score: 0

      This is the website where you find the latest sighting opportunities for your location.

      http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

      Go to +REALTIME DATA / Sighting Opportunities then, choose your country and the rest should be self explanatory, at least for the United States which is all I have used this website for :)

      I prefer this site, which has an Iridium Flare calculator as well:
      http://www.heavens-above.com/

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  15. Marathon? by jollyreaper · · Score: 2

    Hopefully the station's AI won't go rampant this time around.

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    1. Re:Marathon? by altek · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      need... mod... points...

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    2. Re:Marathon? by Entropy2016 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      Whew, good to know that I wasn't the only one who had this pop into their head after reading the title.

      TraxusTraxusTraxus!

  16. No matter where I live? by haifastudent · · Score: 0

    I live in Israel. Will I still "have at least a few opportunities to see the biggest spaceship ever built"? Actually, yes, but not because of the US flyovers:
    http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.aspx?satid=25544&Session=kebgfgfichcdapnnagjfnaip

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  17. i live underground! by weirdo557 · · Score: 0, Funny

    "No matter where you live" i live underground you insensitive clod!

  18. Can a programmer please write a google map to time by hellop2 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    converter? You click your location in google, and it returns a table of all the next flyby times. Please and thank you.

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  19. Others have already pointed out Wolfram Alpha has by nacturation · · Score: 1

    converter? You click your location in google, and it returns a table of all the next flyby times. Please and thank you.

    a search function just by searching for "ISS". Of course, it's not Google maps but will give you flyby times. You should also check whether they have some software that is able to distinguish between body and subject.

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  20. Re: don't adopt the SERIOUSLY FLAWED Direct concep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Not the italian guy again ... Hey, Gaetano, DIRECT was NASA's idea in the first place (by about a decade and a half); See the National Launch System.

    None of the DIRECT engineers or face people deny this fact. Thus, the only one who is falsely claiming ownership of the concept is you!

  21. Offtopic? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    Whoever moderated this offtopic, turn in your geek cards now.

    On-Topic: Can we please stop calling the ISS a space ship? It has neither the power nor the structural stability to move through space effectively. It's a space station, which is what we call it when they can really only go around a planet. Thanks.

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  22. Re:Can a programmer please write a google map to t by Eternauta3k · · Score: 1

    Just use Heavens above.

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  23. I use heavens above to find it by NotSoHeavyD3 · · Score: 1

    Here's the link http://www.heavens-above.com/ Basically you put in where you live and it tells you the times for the next few days. Plus it even generates a map of the stars at that point in time and shows where to look for the ISS.

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    1. Re:I use heavens above to find it by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is, somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting? o8-)

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  24. Re:Others have already pointed out Wolfram Alpha h by koick · · Score: 1

    As Eternauta3k said, but this is the exact link:
    heavens-above.com

  25. Re:Cool by imamac · · Score: 3, Insightful

    biggest spaceship ever built...

    by humans.

  26. JUST saw it! by Fuzzums · · Score: 1

    It was really bright!
    Brighter that the stars.

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    1. Re:JUST saw it! by Amiralul · · Score: 1

      It's even brighter than Venus, which makes it third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon.

    2. Re:JUST saw it! by daid303 · · Score: 1

      You should get out more. That was the 'sun'.

    3. Re:JUST saw it! by Fuzzums · · Score: 1

      The sun? In the middle of the night???

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    4. Re:JUST saw it! by kayditty · · Score: 0

      not really; depending on your area it seems to get up to close to -4.0 magnitude. I read the article about the new solar array that was supposed to make it as bright or brighter than Venus, but it's incredibly variable and usually is closer to 0 or -1 magnitude. it is still quite brilliant at times, but Venus gets up to near -5.

      according to some random blog post I just found, the ISS has or had a maximum apparent magnitude of -3.3 and an average of 1.5. this may be different since the addition of the solar array, considering that heavens above has shown multiple -3.5 passes for my area, and, if I recall correctly, a few that were closer to -3.7 or -3.8.

  27. Re:Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    biggest spaceship ever built...

    by humans...

    that we know about.

  28. Re:Cool by Phoghat · · Score: 1
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