STS-114...Lunar Occultation
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| STS-114...Lunar Occultation |
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| STS-114 lifted off from Launch Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, on 26 July 2005 at 9:39 AM CDT (14:39 GMT). This daylight launch was the most watched in Shuttle history, with the possible exception of STS-1, the initial Shuttle launch on 12 April 1981. The timing and solar angle were chosen to maximise opportunities to film the liftoff, and ascent, from every possible perspective. These even included modified old jet bombers from the 1950s (WB-57 Canberras), carrying special camera turrets in the nose for the purpose of photographing Discovery at high altitude as she was on her way to orbit. The reasoning behind all of this was to make sure that if there were ANY debris strikes on the orbiter's sensitive heat shield, like the one which doomed Columbia in 2003, they would be captured on film for detailed analysis before allowing Discovery to re-enter the atmosphere. The Crew experienced some facets of Shuttle flight that are entirely new. On orbit inspection of the heat shield, manual repairs to that heat shield, and experiments with different methods of on orbit heat shield repair. In addition, Discovery carried over 15 tons of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station ( in the Raphaello MPLM module ), where she was greeted upon arrival by the Expedition 11 Crew. Three EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were carried out. These involved Space Station repairs, improvements, and attending to heat shield problems. A fourth EVA to repair a flaw in the insulation below Commander Eileen Collins window was cancelled as unnecessary. Space Shuttle Discovery and her crew landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base (NASA's Dryden Research Center) in the California desert at 7:11 AM CDT (12:11 GMT) on 9 August 2005. Total flight duration was 13 days 21 hours 32 minutes. The mission was highly successful, accomplishing every goal set for it. The sad news is that in the wake of continued problems with external tank insulation breaking away during liftoff, the Shuttle fleet has been indefinately grounded until the problem is solved. |
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| STS-114
Liftoff |
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| Belly
Inspection |
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| Inside
ISSy |
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| Robinson
On EVA |
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| STS-114
Landing |
| THE
EVENT |
| On the evening of 2 August 2005, the low-light black and white payload bay camera aboard Discovery was being trained on the Moon in extreme telescopic zoom. As the Moon drifted across the field of view, due to an orbital velocity of 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h), a star suddenly appeared from behind the Moon. It had been in what astronomers refer to as occultation. An occultation is when the Moon passes in front of a star. It's a fairly common occurance, and I've seen it for myself from the ground. However, I do believe this is a first for a Shuttle based camera. In all my years of watching NASA Shuttle flights, I've never seen a Lunar occultation from the vantage point of low Earth orbit before, so this is something of an astronomical treat. |
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THE
LUNAR OCCULTATION |
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This little animation shows where to look for the star at the edge of the shadowed side of Luna. |
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Although not terribly easy to make out in this animated GIF, the star emerged from behind the Moon, and opened the distance between them until the Sun rose, overwhelming everything. |
| The difficulty in seeing the star well here is due to the conversion from VHS tape to digital images. Because of the scan lines used in television broadcast, much fine detail is lost. One thing which is also striking about this "live" downlink is that the usual "snow mask" associated with night time TV from Shuttles is missing! Wonder where it went. | |
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This frame is what was shown immediately after the camera feed from Shuttle was cut off. As can be seen, the Shuttle/Station Complex was just off the coast of West Africa, and traveling north east. |
Imagine the odds against this astronomical event not only being seen from Shuttle Discovery, but actually being broadcast on NASA Select TV. We were VERY lucky to have seen this lovely event. Only moments before this event, there was another interesting occurance. This is the Iridium Flare seen from Discovery during the same "live" downlink. *** At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the INCO in Houston Mission Control. (INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.)
At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.
© 2005 Jeff Challender
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