Space Station Orbit Tutorial

FACT 4: The part of the Earth visible to ISS astronauts in daylight changes due to the interaction between the orbit patterns of the station and the rotation of the Earth. The daylight portion of the orbits shifts slightly eastward along track each day. This lighting procession follows an approximate 63-day cycle from a descending track covering the mid-latitudes, to southern hemisphere lighting, to ascending tracks, to northern hemisphere lighting. This cycle, plus seasonal changes in solar incidence, cause the sun illumination angles to vary every time the station passes over a given region.

Figure 5. The cycle of daylight procession, from top to bottom: A) 1 day of orbits with daylight on descending pass.

Figure 6. B) 1 day of orbits with daylight in S. Hemisphere.

Figure 7. C) 1 day of orbits with daylight on ascending pass.

Figure 8. D) 1 day of orbits with daylight in N. Hemisphere.







<< Back