Tag Archives: Space Shuttle

ISS crew captures stunning imagery of Atlantis’ return to Earth

When the Space Shuttle Atlantis came to a slow stop on the runway at Kennedy Space Center on July 21, it was the end of an era of spaceflight.  Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured amazing imagery of Atlantis’ last descent through the atmosphere.

It was a sad day for many Americans when the space shuttle era came to a close with the last shuttle mission.  Shifting priorities, lack of direction and leadership and politics have all wreaked havoc with the United States’ space program.

As Atlantis is prepared for retirement as a museum piece along with her sister ships, NASA is left without a way of its own to put a human in space.  Meanwhile, cash-strapped Russia manages to forge ahead with its Soyuz program and an emerging space power in China threatens our nation’s leadership in space.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured this image of Space Shuttle Atlantis as it returned to the Earth on July 21, 2011. (NASA)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured this image of Space Shuttle Atlantis as it returned to the Earth on July 21, 2011. (NASA)

From NASA:

Like a comet streaking across the atmosphere, the Space Shuttle Atlantis left space for the final time on July 21, 2011, descending to a smooth landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This astronaut photograph, taken from the vantage of the International Space Station (ISS), shows the streak of an ionized plasma plume created by the shuttle’s descent through the atmosphere.

At the time of the image, the ISS was positioned northwest of the Galapagos Islands, while Atlantis was roughly 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) to the northeast, off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The maximum angle of the shuttle’s descent was roughly 20 degrees, though it appears much steeper in the photo because of the oblique viewing angle from ISS. Parts of the space station are visible in the upper right corner of the image.

In the background of the image, airglow hovers over the limb of the Earth. Airglow occurs as atoms and molecules high in the atmosphere (above 80 kilometers, or 50 miles altitude) release energy at night after being excited by sunlight (particularly ultraviolet) during the day. Much of the green glow can be attributed to oxygen molecules.

Thornton gets last chance to see the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Atlantis

The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched yesterday bound for the International Space Station.  This weekend affords a chance to see the pair above for the last time. (NASA)
The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched yesterday bound for the International Space Station. This weekend affords a chance to see the pair above for the last time. (NASA)

The Space Shuttle Atlantis rocketed from Kennedy Space Center yesterday on its way to its final rendezvous with the International Space Station. This will be Atlantis’ final flight as NASA prepares to retire the Space Shuttle fleet and it affords Earth-bound viewers their final chances to see the pair from the ground.

Good sighting opportunities to view the ISS and Atlantis will be available across much of the continental United States this weekend and they will occur at times in the late evening that will make it easy for everyone. The weekend and the first part of next week all hold chances for many areas if the skies are clear.

Here in Thornton, on Saturday night the two spacecraft will be at their highest elevation. However, we will unfortunately have a good deal of cloud cover at the appointed time making it difficult. If you can catch a glimpse tonight though, it will be interesting because the pair will not have docked yet and you will be able to see both flying separately overhead.

We have a better chance to see the ISS and Atlantis on Sunday. While they won’t be as high above the horizon, the skies should be a clearer. By then they will have docked and so you will see one bright unit as it moves across the nighttime sky.

To find out when to turn your gaze skyward and where to look, check out our ISS / Space Station viewing page.  For viewing opportunities in other places in the nation, visit this page on NASA’s website.

To see what the cloud cover will be at the viewing times, check out our Thornton point forecast graphics.