Shuttle Launch STS-128 Flyover 5.15am Sat

[calibos]

Just a heads up. Still a go for launch at (11.58 EDT) 4.58am GMT.

Weather here couldn't be better.

Flyover should be 18min after launch, so about 5.16am.

ie. Much better than if launch had been a few days ago which would have flown over right at sunrise. Probably still would have been visible but nowhere near as spectacular as it will be with the skies still dark here at 5.15am

Look due west.

[Tantalus]

Thanks for that Calibos - hope She flies this time. I'll be travelling to my dark site so I don't miss it this time.

[Dave]

I got up at 4:30 and put NASA TV on.

I watched the launch, then saw an awesome flyby of both shuttle and fuel tank about 15 minutes after launch.

Very, very bright in morning dawn. Just 1st and 2nd magnitude stars visible at that time.

Passed close to Rigel at one point before fading in the east.

Well worth getting up for.

[calibos]

Well worth it alright, despite me missing the first half of the flyover because a Drunk chose the exact moments of the flyover to walk past and shout, "Oi, what are you lads doin in that garden" which then set the dogs off. The shuttle and fuel tank were in Taurus by the time I shut both the dogs and the drunk up and could direct my attention to the sky again.

Posted on a general Irish forum too and thus about 50 or 60 nightowls, insomniacs, Nightshift workers and long distance commuters got to see the event too. Thrilled at what they saw to the last man and woman.

[tinvek]

missed it this time as was struggling to get finished in work and couldn't spare the time (blumming post virus fatigue syndrome is really slowing me down, looks like im going to have to go off work for a while but thats another story)

at just before 6am the (young) duty managed came in exhausted as usual after his 3 mile walk to work (why is it so many young men these days have no interest in driving?) and we pointed out the ISS pass that was happening and he mentioned he'd seen two similar points of light passing over together as he walked in. he was made up whe i told him what he'd seen

p.s. sorry about the outbreak of brackets and in case anyoen wonders the reason im up now is i've come home from work early as i feel so knackered