Once again I find myself pulling my thirty six hours of night shift. A weekend in Zombie Land.
As always, we who must endure sleepless nights followed often by sleepless days, learn to take advantages of any entertainment offered: be it a practical joke, a good lunch packed by a loved one, or a celestrial cornucopia served throughout the summer evenings.
A full moon, the Perseids meteor shower, Jupiter in all its glory, plus four passes of the International Space Station (ISS) gave me something to do other than swill coffee just to keep awake. A mild summer storm with cloud to cloud lightning was topping on the cake.
Staying up all night is an advantage for a star gazer like myself. Of course I wanted to share my good fortune of clear skies with my associates. Some were interested, some were not; understandable when you work with thirty or so different individuals. What did suprise me was two called their spouces and told them to watch for the ISS.
As the one who dragged them outside to see a star-like light slowley streak across clouded skies, I was expected to answer questions posed to me. I could answer most about Jupiter and some of the moons. I did my best to tell how the Perseids came from dust left over from a comet called Swift something or other. Comet Taylor Swift, no that’s not it. Anyhow some of them were interested and I want to give them the answers I promised.
1) The ISS travels about 17,227mph.
2) Its altitude moves between 173-286 miles up. It needs to be adjusted about twice a year.
3) It orbits the Earth 15.7 times a day.
4) No, they don’t dump their poop in space. It could be used better as a fertilizer.
To watch for the ISS for yourself, click on the link.
I support every dollar spent.
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
