One of my favorite memories occurred on a very cool evening in the backcountry of Philmont Scout Ranch, June 15th, 2002. (For the non-scouts in the audience, Philmont is a 137,000 acre ranch and wilderness area in northeastern New Mexico owned by the Boy Scouts of America. The property was deeded to BSA by Waite Phillips, the Tulsa oilman who’s Italianate home is now the Philbrook Art Museum.) I was there as an adult advisor on one of the backpacking crews of 8 youth and 4 adults that form the main participant base for the Ranch’s summer program. We were on a 12-day, 88-mile excursion through the mountains and on that particular day had hiked over a mountain ridge and through two beautiful valleys to get to our camping spot next to an ice-cold mountain stream.
In planning for the trip, my inner-nerd had consulted the NASA Human Spaceflight webpage making note of the times when the International Space Station would be observable from the ground. As luck would have it, not only was there an observation opportunity for the ISS, but one of the shuttles was to be on orbit during our trek.
Many of you probably know that there are brief times during the day when the space shuttle or the ISS can be observed from the ground. It depends both on the time of day of the observer and the position of the shuttle/station at that time. In the early morning before sunrise or in the late evening after sunset when the sun is below the horizon for the observer, the spacecraft can be seen as light reflects off the spacecraft. So on this particular evening, I gathered the Scouts and adults from our crew and several of the others occupying the backcountry camp for the night and we stood in a small clearing in a very narrow valley in the mountains. The ISS was slated to pass from Northwest to Southeast at 8:35 PM and lucky for us, it was to be at a very steep angle relative to our position in the valley. None of the Scouts (other than my son) had done this kind of observing before so they were not particularly excited about the opportunity. That is, until the ISS made it’s appearance, right on schedule. A simultaneous WOW! erupted from both men and boys in the group. Usually the ISS doesn’t appear as a streak in the distance that slowly grows as it flies over. Most times it seems to appear suddenly, as the sun reflects off tiles and solar arrays and the light angles to your dark location. The ISS is spectacular. Even in 2002, when it was much smaller than it is today, it was striking, and fast! It took everyone a few seconds to focus on it’s relative size compared to the stars that were making their appearance in the clear New Mexican sky. And a few seconds later, right on cue, the Shuttle appeared. Same speed, same orbit track, but obviously smaller and less reflective. It had disengaged from the ISS earlier in the day and was beginning it’s trip back to Earth. The two spacecraft took about 2 minutes to cross our field of vision. It became one of the many highlights of a highlight-filed trip.
But the next week and a half are our last chance to possibly see this sight. The last shuttle mission in currently underway and you will not have the opportunity to again witness the ISS and shuttle flying in formation. Check out NASA’s Sighting Opportunities page below to find out when you can see the shuttle and/or ISS. Better set your alarm clock! http://ow.ly/5AULb