...then Tulsans could be treated to a sight tomorrow morning between 9:05am and 9:10am, when the shuttle makes a rare CONUS transit from the NW to the SE on it's landing entry.
It's possible that we could see the shuttle tomorrow morning IF they have to delay the entry by one orbit (entry on orbit 223 as opposed to 222). It's a rare transit over the US either way, as the shuttles usually come in from further south.
If that does happen, then at it's highest point in our sky would happen between 9:07 and 9:08 local time (at 68 degrees above the horizon), and would start on the WNW horizon beginning at just shy of 9:05 and transit the sky to the ESE to leave the horizon between 9:10 and 9:11 am.
If you want to verify the accuracy of my story, please visit http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/JavaSSOP.html and plugin all the data. Then go to the satellite dropdown and select "KSC223(ENTRY)".
If it makes entry on schedule, it will be too far east for us to see unless you have an absolutely unobstructed view along the horizon, then the best you could do is 6 degrees above the horizon in elevation and would start from the NNW at 7:30 am and exit the horizon to the ESE at 7:35 am. The highest point you would be able to view it from in this case is the aformentioned 6 degrees in the NE sky at around 7:32am.
Sweet! Got a handy link to a NASA page that'll tell us what their plans are?
Quote from: buckeye on April 19, 2010, 10:17:09 AM
Sweet! Got a handy link to a NASA page that'll tell us what their plans are?
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
They scrubbed today's landings, but it really wouldn't have matter given the cloud cover here was horrendous.
I need to look more at tomorrow's, but it appears the first window that they would try doesn't even give us a visual acquisition, but possibly the second one does, but not near as good as if they had landed today. That would be on orbit 238 (first possible window is on orbit 237, no possibility of acquisition on that one)
That would bring the first possible viewing in Tulsa Closest approach at 7:52:27 am (range 60 miles, elevation 38.5 degrees, the shuttle would start its transit at 7:49:53 on the northwest horizon, transit towards the ESE horizon. At it's closest point, it will be in the east-northeast sky (about 58 degrees from true north). It will vanish from site at 7:55:16 am in the east-southeast sky.
So, hope for a scrub of the first window, and pray they land on orbit 238.
Pray they land safely in any regard.
The last graphic for today's scrubbed landing showed the speed at which it would have passed overhead. I would imagine it will be similar for tomorrows chance. That speed was Mach 18, so don't blink.
;D
Well, looks like we'll get a chance after all, since the first de-orbit burn was scrubbed (which gave us no chance of viewing).
A little modification of the actually viewing is in order; Channel 6 is already talking about on 6 in the morning.
Viewing windows starts:
Date/Time Deg Elev Range (miles)
Tue Apr 20@07:49:54* 314.5 000.5 00541
Tue Apr 20@07:49:54* 314.7 001.5 00482
Tue Apr 20@07:50:24* 315.1 002.5 00425
Tue Apr 20@07:50:40* 315.6 003.7 00368
Tue Apr 20@07:50:55* 316.3 005.2 00312
Tue Apr 20@07:51:11* 317.6 007.1 00258
Tue Apr 20@07:51:26* 319.7 009.7 00204
Tue Apr 20@07:51:41* 323.5 013.7 00153
Tue Apr 20@07:51:57* 331.6 020.8 00105
Tue Apr 20@07:52:12* 354.2 034.3 00067
Tue Apr 20@07:52:27* 054.9 040.9 00057
Tue Apr 20@07:52:43* 092.9 025.6 00084
Tue Apr 20@07:52:58* 104.9 016.2 00125
Tue Apr 20@07:53:13* 109.9 011.1 00169
Tue Apr 20@07:53:29* 112.4 008.1 00213
Tue Apr 20@07:53:44* 113.6 006.0 00257
Tue Apr 20@07:53:59* 114.3 004.5 00299
Tue Apr 20@07:54:15* 114.5 003.3 00341
Tue Apr 20@07:54:30* 114.6 002.4 00380
Tue Apr 20@07:54:46* 114.4 001.6 00419
Tue Apr 20@07:55:01* 114.1 000.9 00456
Tue Apr 20@07:55:16* 113.7 000.3 00491
Line in red notes closest approach, just a little east of northeast in the sky and at about 40 degrees elevation. But you should be able to start picking it up from northwest sky as it transits.
Anyone see it? We had about 30 people looking from about 7:45 to 7:55. No one here saw it.
Apparently the sky was too hazy. I heard it but never saw it.
Quote from: sgrizzle on April 20, 2010, 08:04:07 AM
Apparently the sky was too hazy. I heard it but never saw it.
Same here. Sorry for all the hype. I do know of one person telling me he saw what appeared to be a contrail in the eastern sky just below the sun. I heard the boom about 8am.
Damn! Wish I had heard it.
Quote from: EricP on April 20, 2010, 08:31:23 AM
Damn! Wish I had heard it.
I know my mother didn't hear it, but she was indoors. I was outdoors with camera in hand.
I was driving in from OKC and listening to KRMG. I never saw it as I was coming to the end of the turnpike and didn't hear the boom when I got to my office which is about the time people were saying they heard it. Bummer.
I can't believe you guys fell for this hoax. I bet you think we really set foot on the moon too.
Quote from: EricP on April 20, 2010, 08:31:23 AM
Damn! Wish I had heard it.
Come drive over and I will kick your car door really hard if that will make you feel better.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on April 20, 2010, 08:38:43 AM
I can't believe you guys fell for this hoax. I bet you think we really set foot on the moon too.
Where's Buzz when you need him?
;)
Lots of people heard the sonic booms around Tulsa...
http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12340012
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=13&articleid=20100420_13_0_CAPECA937553
My wife called me this morning and said she saw it dropping our daughter off at school. They brought the whole school out ot see it. Had to laugh at the news this morning though. Fox had their cameras trained on the sky and they said everyone ran out to see it but missed it. They blamed it on a NASA radar glitch. Channel 6 had the contrail on video.
Quote from: bmuscotty on April 20, 2010, 09:53:38 AM
My wife called me this morning and said she saw it dropping our daughter off at school. They brought the whole school out ot see it. Had to laugh at the news this morning though. Fox had their cameras trained on the sky and they said everyone ran out to see it but missed it. They blamed it on a NASA radar glitch. Channel 6 had the contrail on video.
The shuttle dropped your daughter off at school? Now that was a memorable morning! ;)
:)
I heard it too...like 8:05?
Quote from: fotd on April 20, 2010, 11:57:26 AM
I heard it too...like 8:05?
Closer to 8, but hey. Maybe you need to start at 4:25 instead of 4:20?
;D
I missed it too, I was looking North & North West like they said, but I guess the shuttle was more to the east- I did hear the "boom" but not a double "boom"- oh well, I'll catch the next one. :-X
Quote from: sauerkraut on April 22, 2010, 09:18:01 AM
I missed it too, I was looking North & North West like they said, but I guess the shuttle was more to the east- I did hear the "boom" but not a double "boom"- oh well, I'll catch the next one. :-X
It is highly unlikely at this point that there will be a next one. There are only what, 3 shuttle missions left, none of which are scheduled to do a descending node re-entry.
Sad for me, since I missed it.