ISS:OTT

[yeti monster]

Heavens Above triumphs again!

Last night I set my alarm for 05:00 and quickly fell asleep. I awoke to the tweeting of the cell phone, climbed down from the upper bunk in cabin 220 aboard the drilling rig Nan Hai Tiao Zhan, located 130 miles SSE of Hong Kong, showered and got dressed, shorts, t-shirt and sandles.

Checking the coffee pot, I decided there was plenty of time to make a fresh brew, then grabbed my camera and 10x42 travel binoculars and headed out to the helideck.

Calling in on Trev, the night tour ROV supervisor to inform him of the up coming event, ISS, horizon to horizon pass, maximum altitude 89 degrees! Right over the top!

Stepping out onto the helideck things looked a bit misty, but I could clearly see Lyra overhead so it was all systems go!

Camera attached to tripod and set up aimed straight up. I'd previously marked the cardinal points on the helideck to save all that messing about with a compass, we were set.

The camera and binocular lenses were misted so I popped in for some lens tissues and a mug of fresh coffee and returned to the helideck and waited.

At 05:30 I spotted her, ISS, appeared out of the mist at about 20 degrees, very bright against the now pale blue of the early morning sky. Though the binoculars I could clearly make out the two reflections that ISS shows, then passed the binos to Trev, that he may share and made my attempts at capturing the pass.

We watched as ISS passed overhead, so bright and yet peaceful, the binoculars being passed back and forth for a while, but mostly just observing naked eye until she faded away.

I was able to relocate her in the 10x42s and continued to observe as ISS drifted effortlessly away into the brightening south western sky.

An excellent start to the day. I shall check the photos later, but they are secondary to the wonderful experiance that one of these high passes is.

Thank you NASA.

A rather noisey (well over exposed) image of ISS passing between Rastaban and Etamin, heading toward vega. 16/04/2011. NHTZ:

ISS:OTT-02 by jessplop84, on Flickr

Some gimpery later may be in order....

[callisto]

I love reports like this.

In the middle of the sea, and sharing it all with us

Thanks,

Mark.

[twotter]

Lovely way to start the day (I got a nudge in the back fromthe wife)

[Revs]

Nice report buddy

[MorningMajor]

Nice one, love the "story"

[PeterW]

.... bet you can't ask them to turn all the lights off for a bit!!

All the best

PEterW

[mcro89]

Great report! Wish i was there as well to see it but i suppose my back garden isn't too bad.

Mcro

[Horus]

Smashing write up ............. more than I could see from my back garden last night