STS116- Launch Path

I am lurker for this group, but you guys always come through with the
right information. SO I have a question

What path will the STS116 launch take? The reason I ask, is that we
will be on a cruise from London to Miami. So I am hoping, we with
lack of light pollution, that we will at least be able to see the glow
of the engines.

Thanks in advance!!!

David

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:29:41 -0500, Snoopyto wrote:

I am lurker for this group, but you guys always come through with the
right information. SO I have a question

What path will the STS116 launch take? The reason I ask, is that we
will be on a cruise from London to Miami. So I am hoping, we with
lack of light pollution, that we will at least be able to see the glow
of the engines.

Northeast out of Cape Canaveral, paralleling the US eastern seaboard
before crossing the North Atlantic.

Brian

On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:36:40 GMT, Brian Thorn
wrote:

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:29:41 -0500, Snoopyto wrote:

I am lurker for this group, but you guys always come through with the
right information. SO I have a question

What path will the STS116 launch take? The reason I ask, is that we
will be on a cruise from London to Miami. So I am hoping, we with
lack of light pollution, that we will at least be able to see the glow
of the engines.

Northeast out of Cape Canaveral, paralleling the US eastern seaboard
before crossing the North Atlantic.

Brian


How far up the eastern seaboard are they looking at going before
starting the crossing?

"Snoopyto" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:36:40 GMT, Brian Thorn
wrote:

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:29:41 -0500, Snoopyto wrote:

I am lurker for this group, but you guys always come through with the
right information. SO I have a question

What path will the STS116 launch take? The reason I ask, is that we
will be on a cruise from London to Miami. So I am hoping, we with
lack of light pollution, that we will at least be able to see the glow
of the engines.

Northeast out of Cape Canaveral, paralleling the US eastern seaboard
before crossing the North Atlantic.

Brian


How far up the eastern seaboard are they looking at going before
starting the crossing?


Not really sure I can describe it, but basically take a flat map of the
Earth and plot a sine curve with the peak being at 51.6 degrees north and
south lattitude. So the "crossing" is simply an effect of the launch and
Earth's geometry. It's not really a matter of them steering it across the
Atlantic at any point.

In any event, you probably should be able to see something. Night launches
have been observed from as far inland as Albany NY.

So out in the ocean you should be in a better position I would think.

Greg D. Moore (Strider) wrote:
Not really sure I can describe it, but basically take a flat map of the
Earth and plot a sine curve with the peak being at 51.6 degrees north and
south lattitude.

Maybe this will help. Watch this page until a track passes roughly
over the launch site Northbound and that will be roughly the launch
track. Right?

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/

Lee Jay

In sci.space.shuttle message
. net, Wed, 22 Nov 2006
12:36:08, "Greg D. Moore (Strider)"
wrote:

Not really sure I can describe it, but basically take a flat map of the
Earth and plot a sine curve with the peak being at 51.6 degrees north and
south lattitude. So the "crossing" is simply an effect of the launch and
Earth's geometry.

Better : we know that ISS reaches the latitude of Finchley. So take a
globe and stretch a piece of string over it so that it crosses KSC and
is tangent to the latitude of Finchley (which occurs somewhere near
Finchley) and see where the string goes. After Finchley, the track
crosses (more or less) the southern tip of India (nice for ACC).

--
(c) John Stockton, Surrey, UK. Turnpike v6.05 MIME.
Web URL:http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/ - FAQqish topics, acronyms & links;
Astro stuff via astron-1.htm, gravity0.htm ; quotings.htm, pascal.htm, etc.
No Encoding. Quotes before replies. Snip well. Write clearly. Don't Mail News.

Thanks for the help folks. I really appreciate it.

David

"Snoopyto" wrote in message
...
I am lurker for this group, but you guys always come through with the
right information. SO I have a question

What path will the STS116 launch take? The reason I ask, is that we
will be on a cruise from London to Miami. So I am hoping, we with
lack of light pollution, that we will at least be able to see the glow
of the engines.



Is your cruise direct from London to Miami? If it is, I assume you will be
on a "great circle" track. The shuttle track will be a little North of your
track. But, its engines only run for about 800 miles out from KSC and after
SRB burn out it is NOT that bright in the visual spectrum. My guess is you
will not be able to see it, but if I was you I would try anyway.

Danny Dot
www.mobbinggonemad.org



Thanks in advance!!!

David