Husband, Wife Attempt Rendezvous with International Space Station

Stories like the following are good for the soul.
--
Dave


http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com...=2009903290311

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
March 29, 2009

Husband, Wife Attempt Rendezvous with International Space Station
by Mark Kinsler

THOUGH our knowledge of astronomy extends principally to the
identification of the sun, the moon and the three stars in a row that
Natalie claims as her own, my beloved and I always have liked to look
up at the sky. We try to look for celestial objects of unusual beauty
and importance, even though most of them turn out to be airplanes
taking off from the county airport. But according to the article, she
read this evening, the International Space Station was to be visible
in the Columbus area - which I assume means us - between 9:43 and 9:44
p.m. last Wednesday, and Natalie was excited.

We never knew that you could see the space station at all, but it
turns out that when the sun is at the correct angle and the weather is
clear the spacecraft appears just above the horizon in the northwest
sky, which around here is principally occupied by a hill, some large
maples and the Stanberry Freshman Campus. Still, we thought we'd give
it a try since we hadn't gone on our walk just yet.

The first order of business was to finish up our usual exciting
evening activities such as e-mail and Internet tutoring. "Be sure to
take your cell phone," I instructed.

She asked why, and I replied that the time displayed on the phone was
more accurate than that on her watch, and it would tell us just when
it was 9:43 p.m. and we should be staring at 11 degrees above the
horizon in the northwest sky, watching for a bright, moving object
that looks like an airplane but doesn't have flashing lights.

Even if we didn't see the International Space Station, it would be a
nice night to walk around and look at the stars. Looking forward to
the excursion, we finished up our work. Natalie produced a cell phone
and two York Peppermint Patty candies to fortify us, and put on her
jacket. Turning off the lights behind us, we strode confidently out
the front door with one eye on the sky.

Neither of us had considered the possibility that it might rain. We
must have been an inspiring sight, the young astronomers standing
there at the foot of the front steps, alternately staring at the sky
and each other as the situation gradually took form in our minds.
There would be no International Space Station. In fact, there would be
no walk. In fact, we were getting wet.

We didn't start laughing until we saw the cats staring at us with
their usual mild curiosity as we struggled back in the front door, and
then we couldn't stop. Natalie was wet. I still had my jacket halfway
on.

Sometimes the best adventures are the ones that never quite happen -
the ones prefaced with anticipation and hope that never gets dashed
because matters don't progress far enough. We might see the
International Space Station one day, but if not, we can look back and
laugh about the night the heavens wouldn't cooperate.

- Mark Kinsler is a science teacher from Cleveland Heights who lives
in an old house in Lancaster with Natalie, the four cats and no
telescope.

In sci.astro.amateur message
, Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:47:50, Dave Typinski
posted:

Husband, Wife Attempt Rendezvous with International Space Station
by Mark Kinsler

...

We never knew that you could see the space station at all, but it
turns out that when the sun is at the correct angle and the weather is
clear the spacecraft appears just above the horizon in the northwest
sky, which around here is principally occupied by a hill, some large
maples and the Stanberry Freshman Campus. Still, we thought we'd give
it a try since we hadn't gone on our walk just yet.

...

- Mark Kinsler is a science teacher from Cleveland Heights who lives
in an old house in Lancaster with Natalie, the four cats and no
telescope.


From his article, I assume that he is an American; there is a Cleveland
Heights at 41°30'35"N 81°33'48"W; there is a Lancaster, Ohio at
39°43'09"N 82°36'19"W, SE of Columbus, Ohio. While it is no doubt true
that sometimes ISS, whose latitude ranges between 51.5 deg N & S of the
Equator, can be seen briefly near the north-west horizon from there, I
am confident that it fairly often passes directly overhead, as it does
here. I saw it overhead earlier this (ISO 8601) week; and at a height
of 23 deg earlier this evening. Last week (") I saw it following
Discovery; and more recently I saw Discovery, ISS, and Soyuz in that
order.

For an observer at the middle of Cenci Lake in Maher Park, Lancaster,
Ohio, ISS will be visible at least once each evening for the next week;
best at 53 deg high in the SW at 2009-04-01 01:16:42 GMT, I expect soon
after local sunset. Source: http://www.heavens-above.com/

The article sheds light in the state of education in the vicinity, and
of the inability of NASA to communicate with the people who pay for it.

--
(c) John Stockton, nr London, 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.

Dr. John Stockton was saying
The article sheds light in the state of
education in the vicinity, and of the
inability of NASA to communicate with
the people who pay for it.

Not necessarily... Not all people share our interest in astronomy, and I
can't say that I can muster much excitement over the direction of our
manned space program myself. I've never gone out to see the space
station, although I DID have to catch a look at the infamous escaped
toolbag a little while back. Many people would consider many of the
denizens of this group woefully ignorant in the identification of
plants, birds, or insects.
It DOES disappoint me though, that a "science teacher" wouldn't
know that he "could see the space station at all," or have any basic
knowledge of what he can see in the night sky.
Marty

(Marty) wrote:

Dr. John Stockton was saying
The article sheds light in the state of
education in the vicinity, and of the
inability of NASA to communicate with
the people who pay for it.

Not necessarily... Not all people share our interest in astronomy, and I
can't say that I can muster much excitement over the direction of our
manned space program myself. ...

It DOES disappoint me though, that a "science teacher" wouldn't
know that he "could see the space station at all," or have any basic
knowledge of what he can see in the night sky.

Well, it was an editorial piece, not a science column. I thought the
folks here would enjoy it on a social level, not scientific.

That said, how many astronomers can explain the thermite reaction, why
chlorinating your town's water supply doesn't always help against
cryptosporidiosis, and the advantages of titanium nitride over silicon
carbide in machine tools? Science covers a lot of ground.

Point is, being a science teacher isn't about knowing everything; it's
about knowing what you don't know and teaching what you do.
--
Dave

Dave was saying
Well, it was an editorial piece, not a
science column. I thought the folks here
would enjoy it on a social level, not
scientific.

That's the way I took it. And I DID point out that many in here would
be ignorant in other areas.
Point is, being a science teacher isn't
about knowing everything; it's about
knowing what you don't know and
teaching what you do.

And I can agree with that. Science isn't as much a subject as it is a
constructive, somewhat skeptical, way of thinking. Still, I'd like to
see a science teacher know a LITTLE about what can be seen in the sky...
It's an area that much of the public is at least a little curious about,
and... Oh well...
Marty

Dave Typinski wrote:
(Marty) wrote:
Dr. John Stockton was saying
The article sheds light in the state of
education in the vicinity, and of the
inability of NASA to communicate with
the people who pay for it.

Not necessarily... Not all people share our interest in astronomy, and I
can't say that I can muster much excitement over the direction of our
manned space program myself. ...

It DOES disappoint me though, that a "science teacher" wouldn't
know that he "could see the space station at all," or have any basic
knowledge of what he can see in the night sky.

Well, it was an editorial piece, not a science column. I thought the
folks here would enjoy it on a social level, not scientific.

But it is pretty telling if a US *"science teacher"* doesn't have a
basic understanding of the visibility of Earth satellites. Clearly he
doesn't remember how upset you all got over Sputnik flying over.

Most people have looked up at the sky at some stage and asked what is
that bright fast moving object. TV news sometimes advertises the better
early evening high latitude passes of the ISS and Shuttle.

That said, how many astronomers can explain the thermite reaction, why
chlorinating your town's water supply doesn't always help against
cryptosporidiosis, and the advantages of titanium nitride over silicon
carbide in machine tools? Science covers a lot of ground.

Yes. But there are some basic levels of knowledge and innate curiosity
that are generally considered to be the bare minimum for a *science*
teacher. No wonder Uncle Al (mad chemist) moans about US zero goal
education.

Point is, being a science teacher isn't about knowing everything; it's
about knowing what you don't know and teaching what you do.

But if you know so little about the world around you how can you
possibly teach children about it?

Regards,
Martin Brown

"Natalie, four cats and no telescope" ... and ... (presumably) no
computer to check the whereabouts of the ISS *and/or* the weather
forecast? I liked Natalie. :-)

Still a nice, cuddly story. For some reason it reminds me of a recent,
national, cycling road race. Standing there for an hour on the wrong
road waiting (and waiting) for the "caravan" to arrive.... you would
not believe the care I put into selecting the perfect spot to capture
the excitement with my camera. :-)

In sci.astro.amateur message
, Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:28:59, Dave Typinski
posted:
(Marty) wrote:

Dr. John Stockton was saying
The article sheds light in the state of
education in the vicinity, and of the
inability of NASA to communicate with
the people who pay for it.

Not necessarily... Not all people share our interest in astronomy, and I
can't say that I can muster much excitement over the direction of our
manned space program myself. ...

It DOES disappoint me though, that a "science teacher" wouldn't
know that he "could see the space station at all," or have any basic
knowledge of what he can see in the night sky.

Well, it was an editorial piece, not a science column. I thought the
folks here would enjoy it on a social level, not scientific.

An editor should know enough to ensure that what he publishes is
sensible (or described as otherwise, or manifest comedy) and worth
publishing. That includes knowing his own limits and where to get a
second opinion from. Googling "satellite visibility" offers 7,950,000
hits, of which the first (second) and fourth look helpful. One wonders
what his classes thought of the article; medium-small boys often know of
such things, and don't forget everything by the time they come to learn
physics.

"Seeing satellites" is even better; 1,230,000; the same first hit, and
the last on the first page is http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/
557029/satellite_spotting_see_a_manmade_orbiting.html?cat =58 - good for
Americans, but possibly wrong for Quito- or Kampala- dwellers - and the
author obviously does not live near an airport.

That said, how many astronomers can explain the thermite reaction, why
chlorinating your town's water supply doesn't always help against
cryptosporidiosis, and the advantages of titanium nitride over silicon
carbide in machine tools? Science covers a lot of ground.

Well, I've not been taught or worked in those subjects for many years
(and had exactly one biology lesson); but I've a fair idea of how to
look for answers to the two that I can't answer from memory.

--
(c) John Stockton, nr London, 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.

(Marty) wrote:

Dave was saying
Well, it was an editorial piece, not a
science column. I thought the folks here
would enjoy it on a social level, not
scientific.

That's the way I took it. And I DID point out that many in here would
be ignorant in other areas.

Yep, I got that. Didn't intend to imply otherwise.

Point is, being a science teacher isn't
about knowing everything; it's about
knowing what you don't know and
teaching what you do.

And I can agree with that. Science isn't as much a subject as it is a
constructive, somewhat skeptical, way of thinking.

Well put.

Still, I'd like to
see a science teacher know a LITTLE about what can be seen in the sky...
It's an area that much of the public is at least a little curious about,
and... Oh well...

Oh, he does. One of his writing habits is apparent self denigration
in an attempt to make the lay reader more easily identify with the
writer and hence less fearful of the subject matter at hand. It's a
good tool, in my opinion--but as you point out, it can backfire with a
better-educated audience.
--
Dave

"Chris.Bee" wrote:

"Natalie, four cats and no telescope" ... and ... (presumably) no
computer to check the whereabouts of the ISS *and/or* the weather
forecast? I liked Natalie. :-)

Still a nice, cuddly story. For some reason it reminds me of a recent,
national, cycling road race. Standing there for an hour on the wrong
road waiting (and waiting) for the "caravan" to arrive.... you would
not believe the care I put into selecting the perfect spot to capture
the excitement with my camera. :-)

That's about the size of it.

Sometimes life works out very well, despite our best efforts.
--
Dave