| Observing Location | Bowery @ E Houston St, New York, NY | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Observational Period | 0900-0915 EDT | ||||||||||||||||
| Atmospheric Conditions |
When the wind picks up it feels a bit chilly.
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| Instruments | Naked-eye - Charlie | ||||||||||||||||
| Observing Party | Charlie Ridgway |
When I went out it was beautifully clear with a nice blue sky so I immediately wondered if there might be some astronomical targets about. I think Venus would be about the only thing bright enough to be seen in this much daylight and suspect that it is a morning star now but have no idea where to begin looking for it.
| Rises | 0451 EDT |
|---|---|
| Transits | 1106 EDT |
| Sets | 1721 EDT |
| Alt. | 43.3526° |
| Az. | 133.8516° SE |
| Constellation | Psc |
| Mag. | -4.5 |
I also thought of a rising waning crescent Moon and looked to the east but haven’t checked a calendar lately so don’t know the phase of the Moon now. When I got to Houston St I could see a sliver of sky in the SW and there was the setting waning gibbous moon just before last quarter at ~20° Alt.
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It appears as though NASA has given up hope that the Shuttle program will eventually be extended and is preparing to cut the cord.
In a 13Apr09 Spaceflight Now story they report that in a note sent to Shuttle engineers by program manager John Shannon, which was "obtained by CBS News," he says
It is my position that we cannot continue to spend money to retain the capability to fly additional space shuttle missions, hoping that someone will recognize the national assets we are giving up.
Emphasis seems to be shifting from completing ISS construction to managing the remaining shuttle program to "leave the International Space Station in the best configuration possible."
An alternate read is that the note was leaked by management in a last ditch effort to put pressure on the administration to extend the Shuttle mission until the Crew Expedition Vehicle is ready to take its place.
The Bush administration had mandated that the Shuttle program be closed out at the end of the 2010 budget year in September but the Obama administration has extended that deadline to the end of the 2010 calendar year but seems unwilling to extend it any further.
