http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2006/12/19/spot-shuttle-and-space-station-tonight/ LiveScience Blogs | Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:28:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2006/12/19/spot-shuttle-and-space-station-tonight/#comment-3451 jkatz Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:21:10 +0000 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2006/12/19/spot-shuttle-and-space-station-tonight/#comment-3451 From Glen Burnie, Md., the shuttle-station pair passed overhead maybe brighter than I've seen before, perhaps because they were separated, but I could see two distinct lights. However, I did see something different. Usually the light intensity gradually builds as the shuttle or ISS pass farther from the sun and the reflection angle improves. Tonight, there was a brief flare in brightness at around 6:01 or 6:02 p.m. EST. I thought maybe the shuttle had rotated and caught a quick reflection in the process. When I got back to the NASA feed, I heard the shuttle was getting ready for its second seoparation burn. So, I wonder if what I saw was thruster fire from the first burn. From Glen Burnie, Md., the shuttle-station pair passed overhead maybe brighter than I’ve seen before, perhaps because they were separated, but I could see two distinct lights. However, I did see something different. Usually the light intensity gradually builds as the shuttle or ISS pass farther from the sun and the reflection angle improves. Tonight, there was a brief flare in brightness at around 6:01 or 6:02 p.m. EST. I thought maybe the shuttle had rotated and caught a quick reflection in the process. When I got back to the NASA feed, I heard the shuttle was getting ready for its second seoparation burn. So, I wonder if what I saw was thruster fire from the first burn.

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