ISS

If you are interested in watching the international space station go across the sky at night see this handy link which will tell you the date, time and location in the sky of the ISS passing. I was surprised how large the little light in the night sky is and how fast it travels. It is exciting to imagine how much larger it will appear in the future if and when the ISS grows in size. Assuming the ISS does grow in size it is exciting to realize that it will be something that you cannot help miss seeing while out in the night, a constant presence in the night sky just like the moon!

United Kingdom:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+Kingdom

United States:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States

Pick a country:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/

General information:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Rock and Roll:

Re: ISS

http://www.vrmag.org/issue30/ISS_INTERNATIONAL_SPACE_STATION_VIRTUAL_TOUR.html

Re: ISS

Cool, thanks for that! I'll have to check it out...

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And for all those here who hate the American establishment - and there seems to be quite a few (not me I hasten to add), here is a really good site for the ISS and Iridium Flares (yes I know, also the American establishment but pretty to look at nontheless)and astronomy - it even tells you the latest position of the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft - so far, our only interstellar messengers:

http://www.heavens-above.com/

genieten van...

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..and I see that Laetitia is currently Mag10 - (must be the effect of the new album)...

http://www.heavens-above.com/MinorPlanet.aspx?desig=39&lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=CET

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Very fascinating, thanks!
I have looked at the scheduled time for London on Friday and I thought I had spotted it.
But I wanted to be sure so i looked again on Saturday and tonight too and I could confirmed that I was not mistaken:
it appeared always in the same way all three times and you are right in stating that it moves really fast!
Do you know how distant it actually is? Is it beyond the atmosphere?
Thanks.

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The ISS orbits at around 220 miles high. The Earth's atmosphere extends to around 120, so yes the ISS is well beyond the atmosphere and in the vacuum of space. It is also now totally complete and will not get any bigger. There is debate as to when it should be destroyed - plans at the moment are for 2016. It will be de-orbited to burn up in the atmosphere over the Pacific.

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*km (or 75 miles) that is.

The division between the atmosphere and space is called the Karman Line:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line

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Destroyed? They just finished building it! WTF!

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Yes, that is the official NASA statement, but it is open for debate over the next 5 years. Just like everything else that is important to the human race it is BUDGETARY matter. If the ISS had the support of the public, a public truly excited about the real space program, there could be a smidgeon of hope for the ISS. With the space shuttle program ending this year there will be no way to get up there short of paying the Russians taxi service.

Maybe the Chinese will purchase it in a negotiated deal. That would nicely supplement their developing moon program. With the Chinese gaining the high ground, who knows, all of humanity will be speaking Changlish? someday.