[Launch Alert] Possible Reentry Viewing Opportunity

[Launch Alert]

A Dragon cargo ship returning from the International Space Station is scheduled to splash down off the California coast tonight (May 24). The vehicle will be traveling roughly northwest to southeast and will pass over Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California before landing in the Pacific at about 10:45 p.m. PDT some 25 statute miles west of Camp Pendleton.

Observers hundreds of miles north of the landing zone may be able to see the final moments of the vehicle’s reentry with the naked eye. Low clouds and fog may hamper sky watchers near the coast, so they may want to select a viewing venue above the Marine Layer. If you decide to drive to the mountains, be careful. Mountain roads are dangerous and not paying attention to your driving or speeding can have tragic consequences.

Many thanks to Launch Alert contributor and amateur astronomer extraordinaire Rick Baldridge for notifying me of this event.

The above information is preliminary and subject to change.