LIVE: STS-115 - Re-entry and landing

• #160 by hyper_snyper on 23 Sep, 2006 19:43
• ^^that looks like contrails coming off a commercial jet.
• #161 by Jim on 23 Sep, 2006 20:29
• I agree
• #162 by Mark Dave on 24 Sep, 2006 11:13
• Yeah, and we all know what a shuttle entry looks like, even the fatal STS-107 video shows what you'd see. Those photos are of a jet.
• #163 by Jeff Bingham on 24 Sep, 2006 12:51
• Also, the ground track of Atlantis was from the southwest, over Guatemala, a bit west of Cuba and up over the Keys, so I doubt it would be visible from anywhere in Texas, even Southeast Texas. Flights at 51.6 degree inclination don't overfly Texas on deorbit.
• #164 by hyper_snyper on 24 Sep, 2006 13:56
• Plus the fact that the shuttle didn't come back on the 20th.
• #165 by nathan.moeller on 24 Sep, 2006 14:08
• Definitely a jet.  Contrails always appear in that shape and form.  Plus the way the sun hits them can make them appear white, orange, red, purple, blue, etc.  And 51DMascot is right.  I live in central west Texas and my dad and I tried to get up one morning to see Discovery come back from STS-102 in 2001.  We had no chance because flights with that high of an inclination do not overfly Texas during re-entry.  Supposedly they could if they started their burn over the Pacific and came in over the Northwest United States like Washington or even Canada, but even then I doubt we'd see it.  The only way Texas will ever see a re-entering orbiter again is when STS-125 Discovery comes back from servicing Hubble.  STS-103 and STS-109 flew right over us and we never knew.  Hopefully we can start anticipating that next month!
• #166 by astrobrian on 24 Sep, 2006 14:11

• Quote

  51D Mascot - 24/9/2006  7:34 AM  Flights at 51.6 degree inclination don't overfly Texas on deorbit.

  they used to. Now about the only way you will see one come in while in Texas is probably on Galveston Island and at that if they have a one orbit go around
  

• #167 by Jeff Bingham on 24 Sep, 2006 14:14
• Oh, yeah...missed that obvious part...probably because the 20th was my birthday and being self-absorbed just figured every significant event revolves around me somehow...hehe.  Nice shot of the reddish sunrise illuminating jet contrails, though!
• #168 by psloss on 24 Sep, 2006 14:27
• FWIW, here's the 51.6 inclination entry ground track graphic again (has to have been posted to several other threads); this is from the latest rev of the RTF implementation plan:
  http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/150493main_rtf_imp_12th.pdf
  
  (Page 2-4; page 144 in my Adobe reader)
  
  

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• #169 by GioFX on 24 Sep, 2006 17:30
• any news about the Atlantis' re-entry video took from the ISS?
• #170 by psloss on 25 Sep, 2006 22:13
• Quote

  GioFX - 24/9/2006  1:13 PM
  
  any news about the Atlantis' re-entry video took from the ISS?

  The little bit in the mission highlights package is being re-run periodically on NASA TV; I didn't see the longer video replayed during today's ISS hour.  FWIW, here are a couple of screen grabs with the contrast turned up...
  

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• #171 by psloss on 25 Sep, 2006 22:26
• For comparison, I found an old STS-93 VCD that I could pull screen grabs off of...these are shots from Houston (I believe) that were broadcast live on NASA TV during the STS-93 re-entry.  The first one is a wide shot to give an idea of the point of view:
  

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• #172 by GioFX on 25 Sep, 2006 22:42
• thanks philip, cool!