Eric D. Colburn, PLS

International Space Station. Credit: NASA

HOUSTON — As America celebrates its 233rd birthday this holiday weekend, there will be an extra light in the sky along with the fireworks. Across the country, Americans will be treated to spectacular views of the International Space Station as it orbits 220 miles above Earth.

Many locations will have unusually long sighting opportunities of as much as five minutes, weather permitting, as the station flies almost directly overhead.

To find out when to see the station from your city, visit:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings

Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka works in the Harmony node of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

The largest spacecraft ever built, the station also is the most reflective. It will be brighter than most stars at dawn and dusk, appearing as a solid, glowing light, slowly traversing the predawn or evening sky. It is visible when lit by the sun while the ground below is not in full daylight. It moves across the sky too fast for conventional telescopes, but a good set of binoculars can enhance the viewing experience, even revealing some detail of the station’s structure.

The station circles Earth every 90 minutes. It is 357 feet long, about the length of a football field including the end zones, and 45 feet tall. Its reflective solar arrays are 240 feet wide, a wingspan greater than that of a jumbo jet, and have a total surface area of more than 38,000 square feet.

An international crew of six astronauts, including American flight engineer Michael Barratt, is aboard the complex conducting research and continuing its assembly. Other crew members are from Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan.

For more information about the station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

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Professional Land surveyor Source: NASA

Pulte and Centex to Merge Creating America’s Largest Homebuilding Company

Combined Organization Positioned For Growth through Segment and Market Diversity, Streamlined Operations, Unmatched Leadership in Customer Satisfaction

Expects to Retire in Excess of $1 Billion of Debt Maturities Prior to Year-End 2009

Expected to Realize Efficiencies and Cost Savings of Approximately $350 Million Annually

Poised for Accelerated Return to Profitability

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. and DALLAS, April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Pulte Homes, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) and Centex Corporation (NYSE: CTX) announced today that their respective boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement under which Pulte and Centex will combine in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at $3.1 billion, including $1.8 billion of net debt.

In calendar year 2008, Pulte and Centex delivered more than 39,000 closings with combined pro forma revenues of $11.6 billion. The combined company will have the strongest liquidity position among its peer group with more than $3.4 billion of cash as of March 31, 2009. Pulte and Centex ended March with approximately $1.7 billion of cash each.

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