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| | | | | | | | | View of the International Space Station following undocking of the Shuttle on the STS-123 mission | |
See the ISS over Europe
21 May 2008
Spaceflight enthusiasts are in for a treat for the next few days as
the International Space Station will be clearly visible in the night
sky above Europe and North America from 21-23 May. Highlighted in
almost constant sunshine, the ISS will pass over from two to four
times per night during this period.
It is not very common to get such a clear view of the ISS across such
a wide spectrum of countries and anyone who is interested in watching
this spectacle can go to the ESA website
ISS: Where is it now? in order to find out exactly when the ISS will be flying overhead in their specific region.
If you have a strong enough telescope, you might even be able to spot
Europe's major contributions to the ISS, including the Columbus
Laboratory, which was attached to the front, port-side of the ISS in
February this year; the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Jules
Verne, one of the important ISS logistics spacecraft, which docked to
the back of the ISS on 3 April, and the European-built Node 2, to
which the Columbus Laboratory is attached. Node 2 was installed in
October 2007.
The clear view of the ISS, acting as a beacon in the night sky across
Europe, comes at a significant time for European human spaceflight,
following Monday's announcement that ESA were again accepting
applications for astronauts to join the European Astronaut Corps. This
is the first time that applications have been open since 1992 and it
is already proving popular with over a thousand applications
accompanied by the relevant medical certificates.
So, who knows, one day one of the applicants might also find
themselves highlighted across the whole of Europe as they undertake
their astronaut duties on the ISS.
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