He recorded strong meteor echoes on both occasions. The graphic pictured left is a 25-second snippet of his receiver's audio output during the Leonid meteor shower. The recording was made during the Geminid meteor shower on December 14, 1998. Endeavour obtained 14 Dec 1998 during the first ISS assembly mission. The reflection from Endeavour lasts approximately 1.5 sec.
Meteor trails are longer-lasting.
They usually persist for a few seconds, but in extreme cases they can last for 10 or more minutes. They sound less like blips, and more like long-winded warbling whistles. A full discussion of radar spectra is beyond the scope of this article. More information, plus colorful echo spectra of meteors and the space shuttle Endeavour may be found here . The pictures, audio recordings, and many other basic data that appear in this article were contributed by readers and members of the NASA Star Trails Society .