Space Shuttle Flight Path

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We watch in awe as the space shuttle lifts off, headed to the unknown regions of space. Okay, so maybe we know exactly where it is headed due to the space shuttle flight path that is carefully calculated (and published) by NASA engineers, but that doesnâ€™t make its journey any less adventurous.

If you have ever wanted to track the space shuttle flight path while it is either orbiting the earth or reentering our atmosphere, be sure to follow these tips offered by NASA experts:

If you are tracking a space shuttle flight path during daylight hours, you may not get a good view. The plasma trail it creates in the atmosphere is not noticeable by the naked eye on clear sunny days. So it is usually best to try and find it in the sky either at night or on cloudy days.
To find the times and locations of the space shuttle, check out the NSA website at www.nasa.gov.
Always use a sturdy tripod for the best tracking, and practice doing sky sweeps with whatever telescope or camera you intend to use to track the space shuttle flight path as it passes by.
Use fixed focus lenses only for best results.
Prepare a checklist for your tracking goals and be sure to document everything you see.

Tracking a space shuttle flight path isnâ€™t always easy, so take the time to learn how to track other long distance items in the sky before attempting to find a spacecraft using either a telescope or camera lens.