STS-131 landing Monday AM, PNW folks take note

[crustycurmudgeon]

STS-131 is landing Monday morning, 8:51 AM, Florida time. I always like to check the landing ground tracks to see if it'll be re-entering over the Bay Area. I was able to watch a re-entry several years ago and it was awesome to watch. It was VERY visible as an orange colored ball with a trail behind it. Alas, this time it'll be re-entering too far north. Take a look at the following site to see if you'll be well-placed:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts131/news/landing.html

Vancouver and northern WA will be able to see it, weather permitting. As it heads southeast, though, it'll be closer to dawn but still may be visible.

Frank

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe I'll get to hear it overhead bj

 

[Sluggo]

Maybe I'll get to hear it overhead bj

???

 

[Anonymous]

???

What, you forget what sarcasm is???

 

[Midlife]

???

During the glide to landing, the shuttle is flying at supersonic speed, so you can hear the distinctive double thunder of the sonic boom.

 

[Anonymous]

During the glide to landing, the shuttle is flying at supersonic speed, so you can hear the distinctive double thunder of the sonic boom.

Not at the altitude over Kansas, you can hear it quite well in Florida though :ecit

 

[AzPete]

Not at the altitude over Kansas, you can hear it quite well in Florida though :ecit

.....but those in Kansas with exceptionally large hearing devices might have a chance....... :lol :lol :lol

 

[SELLERSRODSHOP]

During the glide to landing, the shuttle is flying at supersonic speed, so you can hear the distinctive double thunder of the sonic boom.

i used to live about 35 mi. from the cape. when the first landing was made in fl, those two booms were so loud, it blew open all the closet doors in the house & cracked a few windows in the area. i went over to the cape for the first launch in 81. that was before they dumped all the water to cushion the takeoff & it felt just like an earthquake . awesome power. i also stood & watched the challenger blow up in 86. that was my senior year in school & was leaving to go to work at the time.

 

[crustycurmudgeon]

New ground tracks are posted for tomorrow. The KSC landing options still favor the PNW, but a few of the Edwards options look interesting for hearing the sonic booms. From the above link, go to the "launch & landing" tab to see the times, EDT. Adjust for your time zone, then subtract 20 minutes or so for PNW, less the further east you are. They probably give the time for the first KSC landing option, so for subsequent orbits, add about 1 1/2 hours.

Frank

 

[Fast68back]

I saw the vapor trail from the challenger in my parents back yard. I was a Junior in HS... I missed the first launch in '81, parents didnt move to FL until '82, but saw every other launch from one place or another up until I moved from FL in '87.