| International Space Station | Space Gallery | SIGINT | 48 Hours Geostationary Satellites ISS Lunar and Solar transits Lacrosse
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Updated on a regular basis
A selection of recent images and animations featuring the International Space Station as seen
from the ground (Wirral UK )
Don Pettit , Expedition 6 crew Science Officer.April 3 2003 from aboard ISS
Coming Soon
USA 193 .... The Real Story
"Quicklook"
Feature For 2008 ......
USA 193 .... The Real Story
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Here to see ISS crossing the Moon
And here to see ISS crossing the Sun
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ATV "Jules Verne" docked with ISS April 3 2008Late afternoon April 3 ESA's ATV "Jules Verne" docked with ISS A few hours later at 1943 GMT the complex was imaged through broken cloud. In what is thought to be the first ground based image , post docking , ATV is easy to see , docked to the aft port at Zvezda
20h43m03s -4.3mag h:60.2° distance: 394.4km height above Earth: 345.1km
On March 11 2008I also imaged ATV in free flight as it climbed towards orbital altitude.In this animation the solar arrays can just be seen.Range 330km
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ISS and Endeavour Early morning pass March 13 2008Less than an hour after docking , Endeavour and ISS make a 61 deg pass over the UK Endeavour can be seen quite clearly as the complex passes into orbital sunrise. Note the attitude/flight mode of ISS is reversed to that of March 11
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Just thirty minutes before the launch of Endeavour ( STS123) , ISS makes a 61 deg pass over the UK |
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Early evening pass and Lunar Transit ......February 12 2008
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Evening pass February 10 2008It never ceases to amaze me how ISS visible passes can vary from night to night! This evening another very bright transit , but , no sign of the spectacular flare from the starboard array. Instead the illumination came from the truss radiators which threw out a semi circle of light. Is that the ouline of Atlantis we see in the early stages ? Orbit 52840.3 18h36m51s -3.8mag h:51.3° distance: 428.5km height above Earth: 339.7km
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Evening pass February 9 2008Atlantis has been docked about an hour and creates a stunning spectacle as the stacked complex crosses the evening sky A bright flare from the static starboard array increases visual magnitude to about -5 Orbit 52826.0 18h16m16s -4.1mag h:60.9° distance: 385.8km height above Earth: 339.8km
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Evening pass February 8 2008Shuttle Atlantis is on the way to ISS and at the time these images were taken was some twenty minutes behind the station More weather problems here , but I get a fleeting glimpse of the complex snatched between clumps of coastal cloud It is just possible to make out the three individual sections of the truss radiators , especially on the starboard side Orbit 52808.4 17h55m37s -4.0mag S h:55.4° distance: 407.7km height above Earth: 339.8km
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Evening pass December 19 2007Yesterday's EVA failed to correct the problem with the SARJ on the starboard array In this small animation we can see the array , still in the fixed position. There is also a striking flare from the starboard truss radiators Orbit 52003.3 16h50m20s -2.9mag h:41.4° distance: 502.7km height above Earth: 342.8km
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Evening pass December 17 2007Still a bright sky as ISS made a 60 deg pass. The port arrays were edge on to the camera , whilst the starboard , fixed array was well illuminated Tomorrow an EVA will take place to investigate the starboard S 3 , 4 , 5 SARJ problem Orbit 51969.4 16h08m15s -3.7mag h:60.8° range: 390.0km height above Earth: 343.0
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Evening pass December 13 2007Caught at about 56degs elevation with the truss radiators glowing well -4.2mag Range about 420 km The dark patch on the port truss radiators appears to be a shadow cast by the fixed starboard array 1754 gmt
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ISS Morning pass November 12 2007Poor weather continues to confound viewing opportunities.Through breaks in cloud and mist Venus and Mars were observed , then a brief glimpse of the new configuration seen at low elevation The port SARJ appears to be working whilst the starboard side remains fixed. The new Harmony module is also visible Range about 600km 0552 gmt
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ISS and Endeavour August 2007Whilst Endeavour is docked to ISS the flight orientation of the station is "reversed". Following this attitude change it has been noted that brightness has increased to -4 mag , with a noticeable flare from the complex mid way through passes. So.....where is the flare coming from ? This animation , captured at a range of about 550km through a break in cloud , pinpoints the source of the increased brightness....the solar panels of the Progress vehicle attached to the rear port , which in this flight mode is pointing in the direction of flight.
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ISS and Endeavour August 9 2007Both station and Endeavour are sighted this evening , with ISS leading the shuttle by three minutes. ISS is still in normal attitude whilst the orbiter is in a heads down flight mode.
Endeavour
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ISS August 8 2007Slight haze this evening as ISS makes a 56 deg pass 80 minutes prior to the launch of Endeavour. (STS 118 ) Both arrays are visible in Sun tracking mode
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ISS June 8 2007Evening pass as ISS awaits the launch of Atlantis ( STS117 ) Captured less than an hour before Atlantis launched the station passed over the UK Of note is the bright reflection from the starboard section of the main truss.This is the truss mounted Canadarm moved adjacent to the radiator , which is in shadow.
23h59m36s -2.1m az:181.9d S h:61.1d
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ISS Evening pass April 18 2007Slightly poorer conditions this evening , but a similar elevation pass to that of the 14th Picked out nicely is the blueish tint of the port truss radiator with each segment clearly defined.
Just before ISS appeared , another satellite caught my eye as it grew rapidly in brightness , flaring at magnitude plus 1 or greater.
On the left (above ) a single frame showing Resurs 01-N4 , on the right a short animation covering a period of about 25 seconds
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ISS Evening pass April 14 2007The good spell of weather continues here in the UK with imroved transparency. Conditions are in fact clear enough to reduce the field of view down to about 3.5 arc minutes yielding a little more detail. Here we see the complex during a 54.5 deg pass with space tourist and U.S. businessman ,Charles Simonyi aboard.
At 21h47m07.20s the station passed within half a degree of Saturn , seen here at the same optical magnification Orbit 48076.8
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