Space Shuttle

The Space Transportation System (STS) followed the Apollo Project to the Moon and Skylab which orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979. With the flight of the shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981, America entered a new era in manned space flight. The reusable shuttle enables regularly-scheduled transportation for people and cargo between Earth and low Earth orbit, providing dramatic imagery of bold satellite rescue and repair missions. Less dramatic, but more personal, offshoots of this aerospace research include the computer software in cars and airplanes and a host of medical technologies such as CAT scans, portable x-ray machines, and laser surgery.

The current schedule of space shuttle missions provides an excellent opportunity for students and teachers to monitor flight activity on a real-time basis. Checking the shuttle launch manifest will provide you with approximate dates and durations of upcoming missions. A great deal of space-related information, including current shuttle manifests, is available on the SpaceLink Bulletin Board.

Those with access to satellite TV equipment can monitor the NASA Contract Channel on C-band, Satellite Satcom 2, Transponder 9. This satellite is located at 72 degrees west longitude, and provides live audio and video from preparations for take-off to post-landing interviews. Typically, after each launch, NASA replays the entire launch sequence from numerous vantage points, affording spectacular footage of the lift-off. Consider contacting a local TVRO (TeleVision Receive Only) satellite dealer, as many have portable systems, and most would be happy to set up a system during an upcoming mission. If you are already part of a cable system, ask your local carrier to add the NASA contract channel-it's free both to the cable carrier and to its subscribers.

Schools with Amateur Radio ("Ham") equipment or short-wave listening equipment can also monitor the audio portion of most shuttle missions. Station WA3NAN, located at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, retransmits live air-to-ground shuttle communications on amateur frequencies. Best times to monitor are during the launch and landing sequence and also during satellite deployment or repair missions.

In February of 1986, the then-Soviet Union launched a space platform called Mir (Russian for "peace") Space Station as a replacement for the aging SALYUT 7 Space Station. The Russians hold the world record for long-duration flight. In 1987, two cosmonauts spent over 300 days in space. The longest space stay by a US astronaut was 83 days aboard Skylab in the 1970's.

It is especially exciting to view the Mir Space station or to monitor its progress by radio because it is one of the few satellites manned almost continuously. Students feel a connection with the people in the capsule when they can observe it speeding overhead. Mir was launched in a fairly high inclination orbit (51.6 degrees), so the orbit is directly over the most populated portions of the Earth. Using a simple pinwheel device, students can determine when and where to look for this and other space objects.

One of the largest and brightest objects currently orbiting the Earth, this platform provides for spectacular viewing several times during a 5-6 week period. Mir traverses the sky with an apparent magnitude of 0 or +1. In comparison, the brightest stars or planets are usually of a magnitude of -1, and the faintest stars visible with the naked eye are in the range of +6, +7.

In preparation for the proposed International Space Station, seven dockings between the Space Shuttle and the Mir Space Station are planned between now and 1997. In June of 1995, the Shuttle Atlantis successfully docked with Mir and began the journey to the ultimate completion of the International Space Station by the year 2002.