[MIham] Flashes of Light in the Night Sky from NASA's NanoSail-D

[Frank]

Space Weather News for May 27, 2011
http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR SAIL FLASHES: NASA's Nanosail-D, the first solar sail to orbit Earth, 
is flashing as it glides through the night sky. Observers in Europe report 
luminous peaks as bright as a 1st magnitude star. The irregular period of 
the flashes suggests that the sail might be tumbling, although no one is 
certain at this moment what is causing the phenomenon. Sky watchers are 
encouraged to check the Simple Satellite Tracker for local flyby times and 
watch this unique spacecraft strobe overhead: http://spaceweather.com/flybys

DON'T FORGET THE SPACE SHUTTLE: Meanwhile, space shuttle Endeavour and the 
ISS are putting on a show of their own. The docked spacecraft are making a 
series of brilliant dawn flybys over North America and Europe, providing 
early risers with a chance to see Endeavour one last time before it returns 
to Earth for retirement. Tracking them is easy; just use your cell phone: 
http://simpleflybys.com.

Remember P7 - Proper, Pre-Planning, Prevents, Pathetically, Poor, 
Performance.