Space Shuttle Reentry Photos

The reentry of the Space Shuttle into the Earth's atmosphere can be seen from points close to the groundtrack if conditions are right. Fortunately, Houston, Texas is in a good location for viewing reentry from 28.5 degree inclination orbits. The other requirements are clear skies and a landing time that puts the Shuttle over Houston when it is dark outside. The Shuttle is not required to be in sunlight as the trail it leaves across the sky is self-luminous. Reentry as well as on-orbit visibility predictions are available during missions from the NASA spaceflight web site. The links below lead to photos of four Space Shuttle reentries as seen from Houston.

STS-51 STS-82 STS-93
STS-51 STS-82 STS-93
STS-103 STS-105 STS-116
STS-103 STS-105 STS-116

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