[FPSPACE] FW: NASA: Space Station Appearing Nationwide Over July 4 Weekend

[LARRY KLAES]

> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:13:39 -0400
> Subject: NASA: Space Station Appearing Nationwide Over July 4 Weekend
> From: rick.fienberg at aas.org
> To: Rick.Fienberg at aas.org
> 
> THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM NASA HEADQUARTERS IN
> WASHINGTON, DC, AND IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (FORWARDING
> DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT BY THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.) Rick
> Fienberg, American Astronomical Society: rick.fienberg at aas.org,
> 1-857-891-5649.
> 
> June 30, 2009
> 
> Contacts:
> Michael Curie
> Headquarters, Washington
> 1-202-358-1100
> michael.curie at nasa.gov
> 
> Kelly Humphries
> Johnson Space Center, Houston
> 1-281-483-5111
> kelly.o.humphries at nasa.gov
> 
> SPACE STATION APPEARING NATIONWIDE OVER JULY 4 WEEKEND
> 
> HOUSTON -- As America celebrates its 233rd birthday this holiday
> weekend, there will be an extra light in the sky along with the
> fireworks. Across the country, Americans will be treated to
> spectacular views of the International Space Station as it orbits 220
> miles above Earth.
> 
> Many locations will have unusually long sighting opportunities of as
> much as five minutes, weather permitting, as the station flies almost
> directly overhead.
> 
> To find out when to see the station from your city, visit:
> http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings
> 
> The largest spacecraft ever built, the station also is the most
> reflective. It will be brighter than most stars at dawn and dusk,
> appearing as a solid, glowing light, slowly traversing the predawn or
> evening sky. It is visible when lit by the Sun while the ground below
> is not in full daylight. It moves across the sky too fast for
> conventional telescopes, but a good set of binoculars can enhance the
> viewing experience, even revealing some detail of the station’s
> structure.
> 
> The station circles Earth every 90 minutes. It is 357 feet long, about
> the length of a football field including the end zones, and 45 feet
> tall. Its reflective solar arrays are 240 feet wide, a wingspan
> greater than that of a jumbo jet, and have a total surface area of
> more than 38,000 square feet.
> 
> An international crew of six astronauts, including American flight
> engineer Michael Barratt, is aboard the complex conducting research
> and continuing its assembly. Other crew members are from Russia,
> Europe, Canada and Japan.
> 
> For more information about the station, visit:
> http://www.nasa.gov/station
> 
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> Fienberg, AAS Deputy Press Officer: rick.fienberg at aas.org, telephone
> 1-857-891-5649.
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