Space Station Appearing Nationwide Over July 4 Weekend

June 30, 2009

Michael Curie
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100


Kelly Humphries
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111


RELEASE: 09-151

SPACE STATION APPEARING NATIONWIDE OVER JULY 4 WEEKEND

HOUSTON -- As America celebrates its 233rd birthday this holiday
weekend, there will be an extra light in the sky along with the
fireworks. Across the country, Americans will be treated to
spectacular views of the International Space Station as it orbits 220
miles above Earth.

Many locations will have unusually long sighting opportunities of as
much as five minutes, weather permitting, as the station flies almost
directly overhead.

To find out when to see the station from your city, visit:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings

The largest spacecraft ever built, the station also is the most
reflective. It will be brighter than most stars at dawn and dusk,
appearing as a solid, glowing light, slowly traversing the predawn or
evening sky. It is visible when lit by the sun while the ground below
is not in full daylight. It moves across the sky too fast for
conventional telescopes, but a good set of binoculars can enhance the
viewing experience, even revealing some detail of the station's
structure.

The station circles Earth every 90 minutes. It is 357 feet long,
about
the length of a football field including the end zones, and 45 feet
tall. Its reflective solar arrays are 240 feet wide, a wingspan
greater than that of a jumbo jet, and have a total surface area of
more than 38,000 square feet.

An international crew of six astronauts, including American flight
engineer Michael Barratt, is aboard the complex conducting research
and continuing its assembly. Other crew members are from Russia,
Europe, Canada and Japan.

For more information about the station, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/station

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