Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. That makes today the 50th anniversary of space exploration! It is sort of amazing to think that my job (heck, a large part of my industry) did not exist a mere 50 years ago.
Today, we fly space shuttles every day. Sometimes for real, and sometimes in sims. Last night I worked a crazy, crazy undocking sim. So crazy that people have been talking about it in the office all day. It’s not unusual to talk about sims in the office, especially since I am in training and always have questions about the ins and outs of certain procedures. But when the talk lasts all day… Yep, it was a crazy sim.
After we finally finished our last separation burn, my coworker turned to me and said “did you know the space station is passing over in a couple minutes?” Done with our job for the sim, the rendezvous team stepped outside and watched the ISS slide across the dark sky. Fifty years since a little metal ball called Sputnik, we stood on the ground and watched a huge orbiting complex float by with three people living there. Blows the mind.
You’ve got a chance to see the space station tonight yourself, on the 50th anniversary of spaceflight. In Houston, it will only rise 13 degrees above the horizon so you’ll need a good view unobstructed by buildings. My parents in Charlotte will have a most excellent view, with the space station passing nearly overhead at 85 degrees from the horizon. My sister in Seattle will have a view similar to Houston, 19 degrees above the horizon. And my friends in Atlanta will have a view as it crosses the sky at 76 degrees.
Look for a bright white dot, unblinking, and moving fast.
And then think of how it all started only 50 years ago.
