Author Topic: STS-116 and ISS image taken from my back yard (Read 15265 times)

paulrix · « **on:** 12/28/2006 02:29 pm »

Hello everyone, this is my 1st post here. Seems like a great forum from what I have seen so far!

I thought I would share with you an image I took of Discovery and the ISS taken less than an hour after separation on the 19th of December at 1801 EST (2301Z). I was fortunate enough to have a great pass that evening and the weather even co-operated by giving me clear skies.
"Discovery

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/PaulRix/Astronomy/issdiscoveryv3.jpg" />

Here is the same image along with the pass details from www.heavens-above.com (used with permission of Chris Peat). It is a larger image, so I will just post a link.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/PaulRix/Astronomy/isspresentation.jpg

I have had a great time following the progress of STS-116. I was fortunate enough to see Discovery on the launch pad just over a week before launch. Back in Ohio I followed it from launch through to landing on NASA TV . Getting this image was a real bonus.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #1 on:** 12/28/2006 02:37 pm »

Welcome to the site. Nice work with the image!

So I take it that was taken from Ohio?

paulrix · « **Reply #2 on:** 12/28/2006 02:39 pm »

Thanks for the welcome!
Yes, it was taken from Zanesville, Ohio.

Flightstar · « **Reply #3 on:** 12/28/2006 02:39 pm »

Stunning. Thanks for sharing.

SimonShuttle · « **Reply #4 on:** 12/28/2006 02:40 pm »

There's one that'll get linked up by every other site on the planet

David AF · « **Reply #5 on:** 12/28/2006 02:42 pm »

Very nice. What did you use to take such a detailed image?

This will be well receieved when this site gets busy again after the holidays.

paulrix · « **Reply #6 on:** 12/28/2006 02:56 pm »

Glad that you like it! THe image was taken with my 10inch Meade LX200 and a Phillips SPC900NC webcam. I shot at 20 frames per second and ended up with something like 3900 frames to sift through. The vast majority of those were empty but some showed the ISS and Discovery. Most of those were blurred though. I ended up with maybe 4 reasonable images and the one above was the best of those. It was an incredibly lucky shot because so much had to go right that was out of my hands. First the pass itself (in this case it was almost right overhead at 82 degrees from the horizon), the timing of the separation, the weather here in Ohio and finally, I was on a flight that day which meant that by the time I got home I had just about an hour to get everything set up, focus the scope, zero in my telrad sight and guess at exposure settings. The scope is computerized and can track deep space objects, but the ISS and Discovery move across the sky far too fast for it, therefore I power the scope off and point it manually using the Telrad. That gives me a very low percentage of 'good' frames.. but then I only needed one to come out well.

lsullivan411 · « **Reply #7 on:** 12/28/2006 04:17 pm »

Wow! Great picture - thanks!

hektor · « **Reply #8 on:** 12/28/2006 05:02 pm »

Makes you think again of what could have been done for STS-107.

Peter NASA · « **Reply #9 on:** 12/28/2006 05:20 pm »

Quote

hektor - 28/12/2006 11:45 AM

Makes you think again of what could have been done for STS-107.

I don't understand how such an image would help?

Namechange User · « **Reply #10 on:** 12/28/2006 06:29 pm »

I believe he was stating that if this kind of image could be taken from a man's backyard then the other capabilities we have may have been able to see the hole in the RCC.

DaveS · « **Reply #11 on:** 12/28/2006 06:33 pm »

Quote

hektor - 28/12/2006 6:45 PM

Makes you think again of what could have been done for STS-107.

The USAF did take photos of Columbia while she was on-orbit, don't know if NASA was aware of it:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13222.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13223.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13224.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13225.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13226.html
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-107/html/jsc2003e13227.html

All photos was by the U.S. Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS) on Jan. 28 2003.

paulrix · « **Reply #12 on:** 12/28/2006 06:40 pm »

Looks like I need a bigger Scope!

Paul Adams · « **Reply #13 on:** 12/28/2006 06:46 pm »

Fantastic Image Paul - well done!

paulhbell07 · « **Reply #14 on:** 12/28/2006 09:10 pm »

nice photo. i think this is the first photo from the ground i have seen the colour of the arrays.

BigBen7Fan · « **Reply #15 on:** 12/28/2006 09:51 pm »

I love it!!! We were able to see a similar view in Pittsburgh that night but no pictures. Thank You for the view.

gordo · « **Reply #16 on:** 12/28/2006 11:46 pm »

I think the issue with 107 was that these pics were clearly available and that the crew could have positioned the oribiter and payload doors to get the best views possible. Of course the pics we see are public domain, I would think what the US mil can 'actually' do would be a much much higher resolution...as long it was for certain eyes only.

astrobrian · « **Reply #17 on:** 12/29/2006 02:21 am »

Completely mind blowing picture! welcome to the site.

Andrewwski · « **Reply #18 on:** 12/29/2006 04:29 am »

I suggest you forward this image to Dr. Tony Philips at spaceweather.com.

paulrix · « **Reply #19 on:** 12/29/2006 04:54 am »

Thanks for the comments guys.
I tried sending it to Sky and Telescope, Astronomy,APOD and also to the NASA public inquiries address in the hope that the crew would maybe see it (you can't blame me for trying). So far I have not heard back from any of them though. I figure that the image quality is not really good enough for the magazines and NASA must be inundated with emails after a Shuttle mission. They probably get a lot of people sending them photo's too. Of course, this is Christmas week so maybe they just haven't got through their backlog yet?