My phone chirped yesterday evening as I was headed home. I glanced at the screen and saw that the ISS was coming overhead in five minutes.
I pulled to the curb to get the direction from which it was coming and the angle. Fortunately, there was a place nearby with a large dimly lighted parking lot with an unobstructed view of the horizon.
A few minutes later I pulled into the lot and clicked the gearshift into park. My shoe crunched on the gravel as I stepped out to lean against the truck. Even though the sun had set 30 minutes earlier, the black truck was still warm.
It only took a moment to see the ISS come into view. I stood there looking into the sky. A motorcycle pulled into the lot a moment later and I noticed the rider had taken his helmet off and was also looking up. I'm not sure if his phone beeped or he saw me and wondered what I was looking at.
He was across the lot so I pointed to the space station silently skimming across the sky. I'm not sure if he knew or he thought I was "teched in the head", as my grandma used to say.
A few minutes later it slipped past the horizon.
I'm not sure why I love watching the space station, but I do. Even though I've seen it dozens of times, if I know it's coming over I step outside to see it.
If anyone asked me why I would simply say, "That's the way I roll."
I pulled to the curb to get the direction from which it was coming and the angle. Fortunately, there was a place nearby with a large dimly lighted parking lot with an unobstructed view of the horizon.
A few minutes later I pulled into the lot and clicked the gearshift into park. My shoe crunched on the gravel as I stepped out to lean against the truck. Even though the sun had set 30 minutes earlier, the black truck was still warm.
It only took a moment to see the ISS come into view. I stood there looking into the sky. A motorcycle pulled into the lot a moment later and I noticed the rider had taken his helmet off and was also looking up. I'm not sure if his phone beeped or he saw me and wondered what I was looking at.
He was across the lot so I pointed to the space station silently skimming across the sky. I'm not sure if he knew or he thought I was "teched in the head", as my grandma used to say.
A few minutes later it slipped past the horizon.
I'm not sure why I love watching the space station, but I do. Even though I've seen it dozens of times, if I know it's coming over I step outside to see it.
If anyone asked me why I would simply say, "That's the way I roll."
I suspect I would join you.
ReplyDeleteWe don't look to the skies often enough.
I have seen the space station once or I think that's what I saw when I was laying on the outdoor swing on my deck one starry night. I was looking at the star and all of a sudden, I spotted it, whatever it was. It was pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Julia
Ahhh, in the open skies of north central Missouri in the 60's I loved seeing movement in the outer spaces. I have caught the ISS a couple times but by accident. It is like spotting a ship at night on the high seas, a wonder-moment.
ReplyDeleteLove the thoughts here.
Sherry & jack
I don't think I have ever seen the ISS. What a wonderful thing to be able to spot it. I am sure there is an alert I can put on my phone that would notify me.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful, wonderful Thursday, Rick. xo Diana
I might have seen it and thought it was some plane or something. Yup...that dumb. It goes pretty fast across the night sky right? My hubby would love to see this I believe
ReplyDelete