shuttle re-entry visibility from South Bay: get above the fog
Ian Kluft
I sent updates to WVARA's Satellite SIG list, and thought I'd send one
here. The weather has turned to fog so you'll have to find a hill above
the fog to see the Space Shuttle Columbia re-entry over the Bay Area at
5:52AM this morning (Saturday, two hours from now).
More background info is at
http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/launch-alert/2003-January/000071.html
> From: ikluft [at] thunder [dot] sbay [dot] org (Ian Kluft)
> To: sat-l [at] wvara [dot] org (WVARA Satellite SIG)
> Subject: [SAT-L] shuttle visibility: weather changes to fog
> Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 03:27:25 -0800 (PST)
>
> I got up from my pre-shuttle-viewing nap and see the weather outside is
> foggy, and the NWS forecast was changed to indicate fog while I was asleep.
> If you want to see the shuttle re-entry, you'll have to get above the fog.
> But there should be less high clouds than they previously forecase - that
> was what from a trough that was supposed to stop the fog from forming but
> was basically a no-show.
>
> I'm going to take a look from the hills in Milpitas (Calaveras Blvd) or
> Berryessa (Sierra Dr). I'll report what I find on all of WVARA's W6PIY
> repeaters. If there's enough sky visible from there, I'll be available
> for talk-in until just before the shuttle pass at 5:52AM.
>
> If there are too many high clouds here, you'll hear me on the repeater
> heading south on 101 to find a spot with view of the sky.
>
> Sorry for the short notice.
> _______________________________________________
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> WVARA Satellite Special Interest Group
> SAT-L [at] wvara [dot] org
> http://www.wvara.org/mailman/listinfo/sat-l
>
Ian Kluft
>From: ikl...@thunder.sbay.org (Ian Kluft)
>To: sa...@wvara.org (WVARA Satellite SIG)
>Subject: [SAT-L] shuttle disaster
>Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 07:46:42 -0800 (PST)
>
>I was hoping to come back from the mountain with a happy story of having seen
>a normal space shuttle re-entry. We did see the shuttle come over the Bay
>Area. But everyone whom I watched with noticed that the ion trail was much
>more obvious than on previous viewings, looking more like a smoke trail.
>Unfortunately, anyone who has seen the news knows that Columbia did not make
>it to Florida. It broke up at 200,000' over Texas south of Dallas, and
>there was no chance for the crew to get out at that altitude.
>
>So unfortunately, I should encourage anyone who saw the re-entry to write
>down what you saw. If you got pictures, please save the information in
>case it can be of any use for the crash investigation.
>
>In memory of the crew of STS-107 Columbia...
>_______________________________________________
>SAT-L mailing list
>WVARA Satellite Special Interest Group
>http://www.wvara.org/mailman/listinfo/sat-l
Phil Stripling
>down what you saw. If you got pictures, please save the information in
>case it can be of any use for the crash investigation.
NASA has asked everyone who has photos to please save them and report to
NASA. You can call (281)-483-3388 to find out how to forward your images to
NASA for the investigation.
--
Philip Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed
Legal Assistance on the Web | spam and read later. email to philip@
http://www.PhilipStripling.com/ | civex.com is read daily.
Patty Winter
Phil Stripling <phil_st...@cieux.zzn.com> wrote:
>
>NASA has asked everyone who has photos to please save them and report to
>NASA. You can call (281)-483-3388 to find out how to forward your images to
>NASA for the investigation.
Here's the full press release, reposted from sci.space.news:
Robert Mirelson
Headquarters, Washington Feb. 1, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1600) 5 p.m. EST
Eileen Hawley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281-483-5111)
RELEASE: 03-033
NASA ASKS FOR HELP WITH COLUMBIA INVESTIGATION
NASA has established a telephone hotline and electronic
mail address for the public to use for reporting information
that may help investigators studying today's Space Shuttle
mishap.
Anyone who discovers debris from the accident or who has film
or video evidence that may be of value to the investigation
team is urged to use these contacts. Please avoid contact with
any debris, because it may be hazardous as a result of toxic
propellants aboard the Shuttle.
Telephone reports should be directed to the following number:
Text reports and images should be e-mailed to:
The e-mail address is:
All debris is U.S. Government property and is critical to the
investigation of the mishap. All debris from the accident is
to be left alone and reported to Government authorities.
Unauthorized persons found in possession of accident debris
will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
-end-
Ian Kluft
>>So unfortunately, I should encourage anyone who saw the re-entry to write
>>down what you saw. If you got pictures, please save the information in
>>case it can be of any use for the crash investigation.
>
>NASA has asked everyone who has photos to please save them and report to
>NASA. You can call (281)-483-3388 to find out how to forward your images to
>NASA for the investigation.
Unfortunately, I don't have photos. I brought my camera. But the group
which had assembled at a vantage point on Mt Hamilton Rd missed the first
half of the pass as a fog bank suddenly formed around us 3 minutes before
the shuttle's arrival. We hopped in our vehicles and drove further up the
mountain. I broke out of the fog looking at a smoky trail behind Columbia.
We all stopped to look, but none of us had time to get pictures because of
the scramble to get back above the fog.
The others whom I met there are members of the Peninsula Astronomical
Society, based at Foothill College. I had seen two re-entries before
and some in the group had seen even more. We all noticed that it looked
different but none of us suspected anything was wrong at the time.
The previous re-entries had streaks like a meteor. This one had a somewhat
billowy trail, which was easily dismissed as similar to a contrail at the
time. It wasn't until the drive back down that we heard on the broadcast
radio news that Columbia was overdue at Kennedy Space Center.
We all knew that overdue meant a crash, since as a glider the shuttle could
not still be airborne after the scheduled landing time. Though we still
held out hope that whatever went wrong might have been low enough in altitude
that the crew could bail out. Of course, we soon learned that was not to be,
as news reports came in from Texas. Since it was visible from the Dallas
area, the news services quickly reported what had happenned.
Later in the day as I watched the NASA briefing, I esepcially took note of
the mention that Columbia's telemetry first indicated loss of signal from
sensors in the left wing at 7:53AM Central. That was a minute or so before
I broke out of the fog and saw Columbia with its very obvious trail behind
it. At the time I hesitated to describe it as a smoke trail, but we now
know that might not be a far-fetched description.
It's a sad day. The local media has already mentioned that one of the
crew, Kalpana Chawla, had worked at the NASA Ames Research Center in
Mountain View before being selected as an astronaut. She and her husband
were also flight instructors at the West Valley Flying Club at the Palo Alto
Airport. Undoubtedly many local pilots can point to one them as their
original flight instructor.
Some of the investigation may come back to the South Bay. I heard from a
friend who has been a contractor at NASA Ames that the lab which makes the
shuttle tiles is located at Ames.
John Olson
the South Bay these last couple of weeks. I had heard the previous landing
on it, and had planned to wake up early to listen in, but I slept through.
Late Friday night while walking the dog, I heard the wake-up call for one
of the teams, and the cheerful good-morning chatter. I was shocked to hear
the broadcast news at 8 the next morning.
-- John
Phil Stripling
> The shuttle radio traffic was being relayed over the 443.300 repeater in
> the South Bay these last couple of weeks. I had heard the previous landing
> on it, and had planned to wake up early to listen in, but I slept through.
>SNIP<
I didn't know about that -- is this a regular occurence. I'll listen in
when the flights start up again.
Phil Stripling
>SNIP<
> The others whom I met there are members of the Peninsula Astronomical
> Society, based at Foothill College. I had seen two re-entries before
Please pass on the request from NASA. NASA will be interested in any
information which leads up to the last minutes of the flight. If any of
those people have photographs, they should contact NASA. If anyone had
their telescope on the shuttle and made images, I am sure those will be of
great interest.
John Olson
news:3qwukiq...@shell4.tdl.com:
> John Olson <annie_a...@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>> The shuttle radio traffic was being relayed over the 443.300 repeater
>> in the South Bay these last couple of weeks. .....
> I didn't know about that -- is this a regular occurence. I'll listen
> in when the flights start up again.
It happened at least twice, and I learned about it from websites listing
Shuttle retransmitters.
-- John
Patty Winter
Phil Stripling <phil_st...@cieux.zzn.com> wrote:
>John Olson <annie_a...@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>> The shuttle radio traffic was being relayed over the 443.300 repeater in
>> the South Bay these last couple of weeks.
>
>when the flights start up again.
The amateur radio club at NASA Ames has rebroadcast the shuttle for
many years. I can't find any current information about them (their
callsign should still be K6MF), and the frequency mentioned above
is used by someone else, so I'm not sure whether they're still
doing so. But certainly it's been a tradition to do so here in
the South Bay. (There also is/was a group broadcasting NASA TV
video as well as audio in the East Bay.)
Sorry to be not too current with my information, but ever since
I got a fulltime feed of NASA TV myself, I haven't had to pay
much attention to the 2m, 440, and other rebroadcasts. I just
want to encourage folks to look for them, because they should
be around somewhere!
Patty