By Rachel Sharp
Utah County residents will be able to see the space shuttle Discovery in the sky on Sunday evening, (Dec. 17, 2006) and again on Wednesday evening, (Dec. 13, 2006), if weather permits.
The space shuttle launched at 8:47 p.m. on Dec. 9, and has been orbiting ever since. The main mission of Discovery is to rewire the International Space Station, and it is the first of two missions of this type.
The crew of the mission consists of two women and five men, all from varying backgrounds such as the Air Force, the European Space Agency and NASA.
Patrick Wiggins, NASA solar system ambassador to Utah, said residents of northern Utah have a good chance of seeing Discovery this week.
'If current predictions hold and the weather permits, we in northern Utah have an excellent chance of seeing space shuttle Discovery during its current mission,' said Wiggins in a news release.
According to Wiggins, on Sunday the space shuttle will rise in the southwest at about 6:20 p.m. and will fall into the shadow of the earth at about 6:23 p.m. A better view will be possible on Wednesday when Discovery will pass out of the Earth''s shadow in the west at about 5:46 p.m., pass overhead at about 5:47 p.m. and set in the east around 5:49 p.m.
Discovery is scheduled to land Dec. 21 at 3:36 p.m., making the mission 12 days long.