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wkitty42
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<p>we've been having a "discussion" around here for a long while, and i've finally decided to inquire of others who are more in "tune" with the ISS and its operation... </p><p>this question pertains to the "posture" of ISS and how it relates to the Earth. The question is actually a two-parter, though... </p><p>Q1. does the ISS "rotate" itself around the center of the Earth so as to keep its "belly" always looking at the Earth?</p><p>A1. yes, as shown by the animation that mouseonmars links to in his reply, below.</p><p>Q2. does the ISS "spin" after the shuttle has docked so that it is "leading" the shuttle instead of "trailing"?</p><p>A2. yes, as indicated by the below quoted paragraph from a link provided by kennyr's reply, below .</p><p>the above second part is the main crux of the "discussions" we've been having around here... it is based on the videos from NASA that appear to place the shuttle in <em>front</em> of the ISS for docking and departure procedures... videos seen during the docked part of the mission appear to indicate that the shuttle is apparently <em>behind</em> the ISS... the position of the shuttle in relation to the ISS is based on which way the Earth's image travels in the videos...</p><p>quoted paragraph answer to Q2: "Micrometeorite hits are a significant threat to loss of the shuttle and crew, and shortly after docking, the station was reoriented as planned to minimize the risk of micrometeoroid/debris impacts upon the shuttle. The new attitude with the shuttle docked essentially points the belly off line of the velocity vector to reduce hits by incoming particles and places more station structure between the belly of the orbiter and open space."</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>