Space Shuttle Animation (MPEG, 938K) Animation of Comet Hale-Bopp taken from the Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-82 mission.
During the Space Shuttle crew news conference on February 20, 1997, Steve Hawley was asked to describe the crew's view of the Comet Hale-Bopp.
"Hale-Bopp looks great. As a matter of fact we downlinked some video this morning from our perspective. The TV cameras don't really do it justice. In the binoculars we carry on board its very spectacular. It appears to have two tails, one tail about three times longer than the other. Really a tremendous sight, and this is a good place to observe it high above the atmosphere. The only problem we have is trying to get the ship dark enough...
"Also in the morning sky we can see three planets rising just before the sun, and again that's a very spectacular view. The crew has enjoyed that for the last several days."
Space Shuttle Animation (MPEG, 938K)