Shuttle-Station Pass A Likely Spectacular

Linked shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station are going to make a pass over Space Coast skies tonight that promises to be a spectacular skyshow.

The joined shuttle-station complex will appear 10 degrees above the south-southwest horizon at 6:28 p.m. and then travel to a point 40 degrees above the eastern horizon before disappearing from view.

Thanks to the Flame Trench reader who alerted us to the three-minute pass.

The shuttle and the station flying together on a cloud-free evening should make for quite an awesome view. The linked ships should be nearly as bright as Venus or Jupiter as they transit across the sky.

Viewers should head outside about five minutes or so ahead of the pass to make sure their eyes adjust. Look just above the horizon in the southwest and the ships should appear before rising up to a point about halfway between the horizon and directly overhead.