Quiet Lunatic
06-11-2008, 07:08 PM
During sleep on the Space Shuttle the communications officer in Houston operating the camera on the Canada arm panned from the Shuttle to view Earth as the Shuttle orbited above. At the wide angle camera setting, all there were to be seen were clouds for long minutes.
I said to myself they must be over Northwest U.S., my home area. All we've had is unending clouds. After more minutes, the announcer said the shuttle was passing over the North Pacific approaching Canada. Hey, my guess was close enough!
As the Shuttle passed over British Columbia, more clouds. Then I noted some of the clouds had cleared. Some of the remaining 'clouds' were mountains with white snow on them. As the mountains dropped into valleys, I could see the branch-like river valleys that drain the melting mountain snows. The Shuttle orbited further & more clouds covered the land for minutes of travel at 5 miles per second. The officer said Williams Lake in BC, Calgary in Alberta, & Winnepeg, Manitoba were below. But all that showed was clouds.
Then the camera panned to the edge of the earth. As the Shuttle orbited in the direction of the camera view, I could see some blue. Maybe it was the Great Lakes. The announcer confirmed my thought. More time passed, & the camera zoomed in an a fuzzy island. It was Manhattan Island & New York City! Then the Shuttle orbited out over the Atlantic Ocean into the growing evening & night.
Hey, it beats paying for gas to fly on an airliner with increasing flight fares. I think I'll take a Shuttle trip on the NASA channel more often!
I said to myself they must be over Northwest U.S., my home area. All we've had is unending clouds. After more minutes, the announcer said the shuttle was passing over the North Pacific approaching Canada. Hey, my guess was close enough!
As the Shuttle passed over British Columbia, more clouds. Then I noted some of the clouds had cleared. Some of the remaining 'clouds' were mountains with white snow on them. As the mountains dropped into valleys, I could see the branch-like river valleys that drain the melting mountain snows. The Shuttle orbited further & more clouds covered the land for minutes of travel at 5 miles per second. The officer said Williams Lake in BC, Calgary in Alberta, & Winnepeg, Manitoba were below. But all that showed was clouds.
Then the camera panned to the edge of the earth. As the Shuttle orbited in the direction of the camera view, I could see some blue. Maybe it was the Great Lakes. The announcer confirmed my thought. More time passed, & the camera zoomed in an a fuzzy island. It was Manhattan Island & New York City! Then the Shuttle orbited out over the Atlantic Ocean into the growing evening & night.
Hey, it beats paying for gas to fly on an airliner with increasing flight fares. I think I'll take a Shuttle trip on the NASA channel more often!