Coastguard may lead Nasa rescue missions in Atlantic

Klunk001

Interesting little article.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/coastguard-may-lead-nasa-rescue-missions-in-atlantic-230532.html

durandal01

The recommencing of manned ISS supply flights from Cape Canaveral is good news for Irish space spotters.
I saw a few shuttle launches to the ISS back when they were still in service.
The optimum angle to the equator of the shuttle's launch path for such a mission from KSC is some thing like 52° which brought it nicely over southern Ireland.
You would see the bright white shuttle above and in front of the distinctly orange jettisoned external fuel tank, there was no mistaking what you were looking at.
The shuttle would continue it's climb and the tank would fall back to earth somewhere in the Indian Ocean.
Weather and launch time permitting, I would watch the launch online or on CNN/Sky News, make a cuppa and then go outside, look west and wait.
It took about 18 min. to get from Florida to the Kingdom.
On subsequent days you would be treated to the Tail Chase where the shuttle would slowly close to the ISS to dock.
Viewing all of this spectacle was reliant on cloud cover and the launch time coinciding with late twilight/night time in Ireland.