The View
EmailIf you have two minutes and 40 seconds to spare, you may want to use it to enjoy the visual treat below. The space shuttle Discovery landed safely on Saturday afternoon, but before it came home it shot this video of the space station it left behind.
The video is substantially sped up. Shuttles routinely do flyarounds of the station after they undock, and it takes the better part of an hour to finish.
The station itself, we’re told, is now 81 percent complete. The last for-sure shuttle flight to bring up parts, STS-133, is scheduled to fly in May of next year–though various members of Congress are lobbying for more flights to shorten the gap before NASA’s Orion spacecraft is ready to carry astronauts around 2015.
In this multimedia age, NASA’s gotten web-savvy. They post their best stuff on YouTube. Poke around HERE.
Space Station Flies Over Eastern U.S. at Night 
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Cool vid… but it gives my stomach the same feeling as when you come over the top of a huge roller coaster… but it never stops throughout the entire video. Guess that’s why I’m no astronaut.
Posted by: spaceSick | March 30, 2009, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
….WOW!! What a Home Movie! It Looks Beautiful! Kinda makes one hanker for a visit to the ISS! Maybe . . ?
Posted by: Frank Luna | March 30, 2009, 4:36 pm 4:36 pm
Hmmm. Pretty dull if you ask me.
Posted by: parrishkline | March 30, 2009, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
I thought the Japanese modules would have turned the ISS into a giant mecha by now.
Posted by: Ed | March 30, 2009, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
I wonder when they’ll push the “Transformer” button. And what will be the result?
Posted by: andyr | March 31, 2009, 8:41 am 8:41 am
Cool! The ISS looks amazing! :)
Posted by: GWP | March 31, 2009, 10:23 am 10:23 am
Ed: Couldn’t agree with you more. Mobile Suit Station FTW!
Posted by: K-Chan | March 31, 2009, 1:26 pm 1:26 pm
Stretch out the Shuttle’s schedule. I don’t think it’s wise at all to be totally dependent on other countries for services.
Posted by: Robert Smith | April 1, 2009, 1:06 am 1:06 am
Spectacular!
Posted by: Christina Viering | April 4, 2009, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm