Discovery Launching Tonight

Kevster

Well folks, Discovery will be launching at approximately 22:02 (10:02PM) tonight. Let's hope it all goes well for them.

Kevin

Ref: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

APM

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhgbeycwgbid/

anyone here back home looking out for it?

Kevster

Cool - It's safely into orbit.

Yeh, i'll be looking out for it tonight. I live in Naas and should be able to see the ISS going overhead at 11:44PM followed by the shuttle at 11:53PM.

mountain

hi from west cork,

just seen shuttle and iss shooting across the sky, down here in west cork

anyone else see it?

deRanged

just saw them passing Cork. Saw the ISS first, then got confused when I saw two bright lights when I just expected one for the orbiter. Then I decided maybe it was the fuel tank - I should have just clicked APM's link!

tricky D

Yup, just saw two lights hurtle over from Dublin. I presume the other light was the tank..?

ronbyrne2005

Quite a sight, why was there two visable things? Light distorted by athmosphere or fuel tank or something?

deRanged

yeah, the second light was the tank.

Astronomy Ireland chairman David Moore wrote:

depending on the weather star gazers could get the chance to see the two ships in the sky.

“We should see the extremely rare sight of the Shuttle with its huge external fuel tank trailing behind it, an extremely rare and very impressive sight,” he said.

rovers2001

Have to say guys that was a spectacular sight of the shuttle and the tank shooting across the sky with a lovely night sky in the backround i thought it was amazing.Anyone know what time it might come over dublin again.

tricky D

...and just saw them both again, a few mins apart. Smashing

Kevster

Bugger... ...I saw the ISS but missed the shuttle. Once the ISS went by, I went indoors again for a few minutes and went back out expecting to see the shuttle.

How close where they exactly (time-wise)?

Kevin.

Flukey

Check the ISS thread. A few of us were watching out for them tonight. I've often seen the ISS, but it was the first time I've seen a Shuttle.

Flukey

Kevster wrote: »

Bugger... ...I saw the ISS but missed the shuttle. Once the ISS went by, I went indoors again for a few minutes and went back out expecting to see the shuttle.

How close where they exactly (time-wise)?

Kevin.

Less than 10 minutes. They are due to link up sometime on Monday. Both will be visible from Ireland in the coming days. Check the other thread for sites to link to giving more precise information.

Andrea B.

Saw shuttle and trailing tank at 22.11 from Galway. Beautiful!