Last chance to see Space shuttle? (Re-entry over central USA Monday AM)

Spaceweather.com ^ | 4/18/10

[listenhillary]

Landing is scheduled for 8:48 am EDT, and it takes the shuttle about 35 minutes to traverse the path shown above. Observers in the northwestern USA will see the shuttle shortly after 5 am PDT blazing like a meteoritic fireball through the dawn sky. As Discovery makes its way east, it will enter daylight and fade into the bright blue background.

If you can't see the shuttle, however, you might be able to hear it. The shuttle produces a sonic double-boom that reaches the ground about a minute and a half after passing overhead.

[listenhillary]

That is if all goes as planned. Should be from 7:20 am CDT to 7:35 CDT for me in Missouri.

[Viking2002]

'10. Over Alabama tracking northwest to southeast from Birmingham to Columbus, Georgia (Mach 10)'

DAMN IT! Right over my head (!!!!!!!!!!), and they're calling for clouds and a 40% chance of showers! GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[Hoodat]

Don’t tell me, you live in Phenix City?

[38special]

Most likely bad weather in Florida will delay the landing.

[Ezekiel]

Also from the spaceweather link:

RARE SHUTTLE RE-ENTRY: On Monday morning, April 19th, space shuttle Discovery will make a rare “descending node” overflight of the continental United States en route to landing in Florida. Many towns and cities in the country’s heartland are near the ground track:

***

Shuttle Will Fly Over Heart of US for Monday Morning Landing Attempt

http://www.universetoday.com/2010/04/18/shuttle-will-fly-over-heart-of-us-for-monday-morning-landing-attempt/

If the weather cooperates, space shuttle Discovery will attempt to land in Florida Monday morning using a so-called “descending node” where the trajectory will take it across the heart of the continental US. “The neat thing about the descending opportunities is it’s going to come across the country and folks will get a good opportunity, hopefully, to see the orbiter as it goes overhead,” said NASA entry flight director Bryan Lunney.

This flight trajectoray hasn’t been used since before the Columbia disaster in 2003, to avoid flying over densely populated areas of the US. This descending node trajectory is favorable for adding extra crew time to the mission. The plan is for Discovery’s braking rockets to fire for three minutes and 11 seconds starting at 7:43:20 a.m. EDT Monday. This will slow the shuttle by about 217 mph for a landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center at 8:48:36 a.m. The second opportunity would be at 10:23:30 a.m.

[SunTzuWu]

More info for you here.

[smokingfrog]

Space shuttle may face rain delay

[Big Giant Head]

Wave off!

[Big Giant Head]

Try again at 9:23 a.m. Low clouds ceilings of 600’ and rain in the 30 mile circle.

[A.A. Cunningham]

[Big Giant Head]

The first attempt would have brought it within 60 miles of me. This attempt will be 340 something miles away.

:-(

[listenhillary]

crud...

[DuncanWaring]

Ping.

[Travis McGee]

We might hear it here...

[Big Giant Head]

Waved off again till tomorrow.

[Viking2002]

A little north. Valley. Might as well be Saskatoon with the cloud deck we have over us.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."