Skies will finally cooperate for us to see the International Space Station (ISS) flying over the Cumberland Plateau at 6:20 this evening! The station will be visible for three minutes, first appearing in the southwest sky. The station will then set in the northeast sky. It will reach a maximum height of 76 degrees. Remember to go outside several minutes beforehand to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark.
Oh yeah…be sure and bundle up! The temp at flyover time should be around 20 degrees. Just think warm thoughts. (ha)
This year marks the 20th year of the ISS being in our skies, with continuous habitation by humans.
Pictured below is the current crew of the ISS, know as the Expedition 61 Crew. I think I need to be the new tall bald guy in the middle, right? (haha) Just sayin’.
The crew consists of, from left to right, Andrew Morgan (US), Alexander Skvortsov (USSR), Luca Parmitano (Italy), Oleg Skripochka (USSR), Jessica Meir (US), and Christina Koch (US). They are performing numerous experiments that will improve both life on Earth and in space!
According to NASA, “During Expedition 61, crew members will make improvements to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer in an effort to extend its life and support its mission
of looking for evidence of dark matter, they will provide input on how a vest
designed to protect vital organs from radiation fits as they perform daily tasks,
they will operate an exploration rover on Earth from space to test for future Lunar
or Martian exploration and will work to understand cotton root systems to enable
the development of cotton cultivars more robust in the face of drought and pests.”
Give them a Tennessee wave as they pass by! 🙂