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NO TELESCOPE NEEDED: NASA WEB SITES LET STARGAZERS TRACK IMPENDING SPACE STATION "NUPTUALS"

Kirsten Williams
Headquarters, Washington, DC                       July 20, 2000
(Phone: 202/358-0243)

Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone: 256/544-0034)

RELEASE:  00-114

NO TELESCOPE NEEDED:  NASA WEB SITES LET 
STARGAZERS TRACK IMPENDING SPACE STATION "NUPTUALS"

     Stargazers will be in for a rare treat July 25, when the 
newest piece of the International Space Station joins its mate in 
a match made in the heavens.  And you can track the module's 
progress with the naked eye.

     Web sites developed by both NASA's Marshall Space Flight 
Center, Huntsville, AL, and NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, 
TX,  are making it easy and exciting for enthusiasts across the 
country and around the world to catch a glimpse of the Russian 
Zvezda Service Module, as it closes in on the International Space 
Station for a July 25 docking.

     Marshall's "Liftoff to Space Exploration" web site, 
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/,  and Johnson's Skywatch web site, 
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ let you identify 
the orbiting space station -- and determine, in advance, when it 
will pass over your hometown. 

     Orbiting at more than 200 miles above the Earth, the Space 
Station is quickly growing into one of the brightest permanent 
fixtures in the night sky.  Currently made up of the American 
module "Unity" and the Russian section "Zarya," the station 
circles the planet approximately 16 times per day, traveling at 
17,500 mph in an orbit. 

     Because it reflects sunlight, the space station often looks 
like a slow-moving star as itcrosses the sky.  That deceptive 
appearance can fool a casual viewer, but it also makes sighting 
the station easier if one knows when and where to look.

     The best time to catch a glimpse of the space station is near 
dawn or dusk, when the viewer is in near-darkness and the passing 
station continues to reflect light from the rising or setting Sun.  

     NASA's web sites provide users with optimal visibility times 
for their locations. Viewed under optimal conditions, the station 
has been observed to appear nearly as bright as the star Sirius.  
When construction is complete, estimates suggest the 470-ton "city 
in space" will be brighter than the planet Venus.

     Access to both NASA web sites requires a Java-enabled 
browser, such as recent versions of Netscape Navigator or 
Microsoft Internet Explorer. For viewers without a Java-enabled 
browser, the web sites include other methods for obtaining 
sighting information. Johnson's Skywatch site contains a text-only 
list of sighting opportunities, while Marshall's site features an 
automated mailing list option.  Subscribers to the list -- more 
than 8,000 to date -- are notified by e-mail of upcoming satellite 
passes.

     The International Space Station is a cooperative endeavor by 
the United States and 15 other nations.  It is the largest 
international space construction effort in history.

                          - end -


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