31 January               ASTRONOMY IRELAND              Press Notice

Ireland's Biggest Space Interests Group

World's most expensive object expected to visit our skies

See $100 billion International Space Station blazing overhead

The most expensive object ever built, the International Space Station, will blaze across the sky every evening until February 13th and Astronomy Ireland is urging everyone to go outside and watch it.

I.S.S. crosses the sky each night for only one or two minutes and can be seen by anyone with ordinary eyesight as a very bright star-like object high overhead.

It can be up to 100 times BRIGHTER than the brightest stars in the sky, so it is a wonderful sight.

On board at present are 3 astronauts, who have been in space on ISS since late November. They will stay in space for 6 months. So, one is actually looking at a "manned spaceship"!

ISS is also THE most expensive object every built by mankind. When complete in a couple of years time it will have cost an estimated 100 billion dollars! So this is a unique object to go out and watch each evening.

The time to see ISS is different every evening so Astronomy Ireland has set up a special Newsline to give accurate times to go out and watch.

Call 1550-111-442 each afternoon, before sunset. Calls cost 74c per minute. In the U.K. call 09001 88 1950 (calls cost 60p/min).

Call between noon and sunset and then go outside that evening, a few minutes before the predicted time, and simply look up and you will see a brilliant 'star' blazing overhead across the sky for 1 or 2 minutes.

Anyone interested in I.S.S. or any aspect of space can call Astronomy Ireland for further information, books and articles on (01) 847 0777.

BACKGROUND DETAILS

The first section of the International Space Station was launched on 20 November 1998.

The first crew were launched to station on 31 Octber 2000. Each crew performs experiments in the weightlessness of space for scientists on the ground in the areas of medicine, materials, and astronomy.

Roughly 40 Space Shuttle missions (each costing US$500 million) will be required to bring up more modules to complete the Station by 2005.

When complete I.S.S. will have a mass of nearly 500 tonnes and cover over 100 metres by 90 metres, with 2,500 square metres of solar panels. This will make it the brightest object ever built in space also.

I.S.S. orbits the Earth every hour and a half at a speed of over 17,000 mph, 250 miles above the Earth.

I.S.S. can be seen from everywhere in Ireland and U.K. at the same time

You can easily see I.S.S. from brightly lit city conditions (in dark rural locations it is an absolutely stunning sight!)

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