Finding the International Space Station (ISS)

If you're looking for a cool activity to share with your son/daughter, try spending an evening together searching for the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA [Public domain]

NASA has a great tool on their website you can use to determine when the ISS will be visible in your area.

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

I'm going to try to take my daughters out this weekend to try to see the ISS crossing our sky.  The ISS will be crossing our sky several nights in the upcoming week after it gets dark, but before my daughters' bed time.  

Hopefully the weather will be in our favor and we'll see it.

Update:  On the first night we were free and it was clear outside, I took my 5 year old out to spot the ISS.  Right on schedule it popped up above the horizon.  I pointed it out to my daughter, but it wasn't entirely dark out yet, making it a bit difficult to spot.  She didn't see it right away and was starting to panic.  I told her to not worry, but in my head I'm thinking "ok, I've got 4 minutes to get her to find this...what will I tell her if she can't find it?"  Fortunately she found it a few seconds later and we watched it until it was no longer visible.  We talked a bit about how astronauts live in the ISS for periods of time.  She thought this was very cool!  It was a great bonding experience with her.