K
kane007
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I know links to this exist in other posts but I thought a seperate thread would be a goer!<br /><br />We could copy & paste from her blog into here. So here goes.<br /><br />Ansari Blog <b>2006/09/26 @2110</b><br /><br /><br /><br />You have probably heard the expression “watching the world go by.” I guess it is usually used in the context of just passing time, relaxing, and not doing anything… just observing… Sort of a state of inaction…<br /><br />For Astronauts this expression has a new meaning…<br /><br />I first heard it from Peggy Whitson and then up here from Jeffrey Williams and Mike LA. For them, it literally means Watching the world go by! As you stare out the window up here you see the Earth slowly rotating in the opposite direction. I guess you could see it both ways… some may see it as if they are stationary on ISS and the Earth is rotating, like I do ;-) — and some may see it as if the Earth is stationary and they are rotating in ISS.<br /><br />The reality is that we are both rotating in the same direction but the space station is going about 20 times faster than Earth so it makes it feel like the Earth is rotating in the opposite direction… Ok enough of that… I guess your head must be spinning now <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />So anyway… When you look out, depending on which window you are looking through, you will get a different perspective on Earth. From the windows in the Service Module (remember this is were we eat ) you can see straight down so you see just the Earth surface with a little curvature at the edges.<br /><br />From the side windows in the little cabins and the docking compartment, where I sleep, you see the complete curvature of the Earth against the dark background of the universe. This view is actually my favorite because you see the “Whole” not the “Parts.” I always like to see the big picture before deciding or worrying about the pieces. I wish the leaders of different