There is good and bad news if you want to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis in the night sky. The bad news is that the next time the Shuttle is visible in our night sky, it will have already docked to the International Space Station (1.07 am AEST Monday 11 July 2011) and therefore you won’t be able to see it separately from the station. The good news is that you will be able to see the combined spacecraft pass overhead in either the morning or evening sky from Australian locations during the 12 day final Space Shuttle mission.
The exact times vary to look for the International Space Station and docked space shuttle Atlantis will depend on where you are in Australia. Go here on this website for instructions on how to obtain viewing information for your particular location. The combined spacecraft are very easy to see with the unaided eye and will look like a very bright slowly moving star. The passes are very slow and can take more than five minutes to pass overhead.
You will be able to follow the mission live by watching NASA TV at various times. I have found that the most reliable source of information about when various events are occurring is to download the latest mission schedule from Spaceflightnow.com.
