Launch time for STS-80: 19 NOV 96 @ 19:55:47.060 UTC.
The following transit data is valid for a location of 37.07N, -76.37W, the location of Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Civil twilight begins at 06:27, Sunrise at 07:01. All these transits will be very low in the southern sky. Clear weather and an unobstructed view of the southern horizon would be ideal.
(STS-80) Tuesday, 12/03/96. A southwest to southeast transit from 6:27 to 6:30 a.m. Peak elevation will occur in the southern sky at 6:29, about 14 degrees above the horizon. Orbital altitude 346 km.
Result - Overcast in southern quadrant.
(STS-80) Thursday, 12/05/96. A southwest to southeast transit from 5:41 to 5:44 a.m. Peak elevation will occur in the southern sky at 5:43, about 14 degrees above the horizon. Orbital altitude 345 km.
Result - Columbia was observed with a peak elevation of 14 deg. at 05:46 EST(-5) (10:46 UTC) about magnitude 3. Another object was observed in a parallel orbit, peak elevation 18 deg, trailing Columbia by about 2 seconds, magnitude 5. Later analysis indicated this object to be the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) at 432 km in nearly the same inclination (28.45 degrees). Six minutes earlier the discarded HST Arrays crossed the same part of the sky at 547 km.