ISS and Space Shuttle flyover

by Randy Muller

I knew it would be a relatively low pass (only 30 degrees altitude), so I scouted a good spot in the yard a few minutes beforehand. At 9:22, I escorted my 88-year old dad out to the front yard to view it.

We didn't have to wait long. Almost as soon as I started looking with unaided eyes, I saw it appear in the NW, looking very golden. It rose steadily, reaching its highest altitude as it passed through the north and behind some trees.

I didn't compare it to any stars of similar magnitude, but it was not as bright as Jupiter. I believe it was brighter than all the other stars I could see, so it must have been somewhere around mag -1.

As it approached the north, I saw the space shuttle, much dimmer, roughly 20 degrees behind it. Both were moving at the same speed and direction of course. The shuttle was probably mag +1 or so.

We watched them disappear behind some trees in the east. My dad never saw the shuttle, but could see the ISS when it reached its brightest. I think that was the first time he had ever seen the ISS, and he was very pleased to have seen it.

It was the first time I've seen the ISS and space shuttle flying "in formation" like that, and it was reminiscent of the NOSS trios I've seen.