Shuttle viewers may get soaked

By PATRICK GIBLIN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: February 1, 2003, 04:55:14 AM PST

There's good news and bad news for folks hoping to see the space shuttle enter the atmosphere early Saturday morning.

The good news is the fog that socked in the Modesto area Thursday, and is expected back today, should be gone. The bad news is it could be replaced by rain.

"That's what I really didn't want to hear," said Chuck Marble, a director of the NASA Solar System Ambassador Program and a Patterson resident who is trying to get people up early Saturday to watch the shuttle fly.

The shuttle will enter the atmosphere about 5:55 a.m. and will fly at about 5 miles per second. That will cause a sonic boom and leave a bright streak of red and blue flame across the sky, Marble said.

It will be so bright that people should be able to see it from their back yards most anywhere in the Central Valley.

That is, unless it's obscured by clouds.

"My group is trying to find an alternative location that's higher in elevation so we can still see it," Marble said. "We will be using ham radios to contact other people to see if anyone has a better sighting place."

Even if it can't be seen, it will still be heard, he said.

"It's worth it just to hear the sonic boom."

While there may not be fog Saturday, it's expected back today, according to National Weather Service forecasts.

Thursday morning's fog was considered a factor in dozens of fender benders throughout the region. It was so thick that the Mariposa County Sheriff's Department reported heavy fog there early in the morning. Normally, the higher elevations don't get fog.

The forecast for today calls for fog in the morning, light winds in the afternoon, and a chance of rain this evening. There's a chance of rain Saturday with winds picking up to 15 mph by the afternoon.

No rain or fog is forecast for Sunday through Thursday.

Bee staff writer Patrick Giblin can be reached at 578-2347 or pgiblin@modbee.com.