Space Shuttle or shooting star?

[Pink Panther]

Hello
I was flying from San Antonio to Dallas February 31, 21:45 CST and just around Waco I saw a shooting star, very bright from horizon to horizon and East-Southeast bound! (direction Florida?)
I asked Waco app. if he knew something about the shuttle activities but he didn't know, two other planes instead confirmed my observation.

So when I got home I checked the NASA home page, but I couldn't fined anything special so I'm wondering If somebody has an explanation about this?

Thanks, and enjoy your next flight!

 

[BluesClues]

It most likely was a shooting star. I've seen a few while flying over the years. Some were pretty darn impressive. I've also seen the shuttle cruise overhead (from the ground) it looked like a fast-moving little point of light. Definately no way to mistake it for a shooting star.

 

[Magic]

International Space Station?

It may have been the ISS. With the solar arrays it is now the third brightest light in the sky (after the sun and moon). Brighter than Jupiter. Go to http://spaceflight.nasa.gov to find times to see it in your area. It's impressive.

 

[DC9stick]

The last I checked February only had 28 days this year and today is only the first! Are you clairvoiant! LOL

Seriously, It may have been space junk, I saw a dead satelite fall thruogh the atmosphere several years ago, sounds like what you're describing. I read there was a 7000 lb satelite about to fall out of orbit, maybe you saw it.

 

[ShawnC]

All the shuttles are on the ground, so doubt its was a shuttle probally space junk.

 

[DC9stick]

See this link it may be what you saw http://www.smh.com.au/news/0201/31/national/national16.html

 

[Beechnut]

Could have been!

I was at College in Douglas AZ, when the Tucson news reported that late that night we may be able to see the Shuttle re-entering the atmosphere on it's way to Florida.

Sure enough, as I was walking back to my dorm late that night, I saw what looked like a shooting star but moving MUCH slower than the normal streek across the sky. You couldn't see the Shuttle itself (obviously) but you could see a VERY bright, firey point that had a contrail (lack of a better term) that glowed read then faded to a darker color. It was late in the dark night with a little bit of Moon, and you could see the contrail stretch from horizon to horizon.

Very very cool, and I'll never forget it.

S.