Published 2025-05-12 · Duration 8:32 · Video file(39 MB)
Columbia's view of Earth's surface illuminated by moonlight, discussing phenomena observed in association with lightning storms from space. 08:31
Transcript
This is STS-75 science operations control hospital. We are again receiving video coming live from Columbia. In this case, once again from a payload bay camera, looking out over the area of the earth that Columbia has just passed through, we're taking a look in the west-relead direction out over the south portions of the Indian Ocean with Columbia. A few hundred miles off the west coast of Australia at the moment. The surface of the earth is rather brightly illuminated by moonlight with the moon still quite close to the full moon phase. The scattered clouds over the Indian Ocean reflecting that moonlight. Some types of lightning-related discharges that are only suggested or were only very occasionally seen suggested by observations from the ground. In analyzing videos such as this, they have been able to categorize phenomena that occur in association with lightning storms where the – and that type of observation has been supplemented now by terms of video from space. The first observations actually were made by means of aircraft sightings from a special instrumented aircraft being – it was flown over Arkansas in the 1994 summer time frame. And that type of observation has been supplemented now by shuttle flight videos such as this, the other type of stratospheric discharge associated with lightning is phenomena. These phenomena that are related in terms of appearance above thunderstorm clouds, these phenomena have now been observed and some statistical predictions have been arrived at. General frequency of them is estimated at about 1,400 to 500 lightning events. There will be this type of an additional upward propagation of the electrical energy. Columbia, however, now is starting to move out into less cloudy regions of the Pacific. The dense clouds and thunderstorm type system is receding as Columbia speeds to the northeast. Now just about over the equator. And this orbit will be once again in a few minutes bringing Columbia up on sunrise and over the southern latitudes of the United States and then northern regions of Mexico. Let me know when you have to plane plane page 3 there, shade E3. At 21 hours you can delete flash.