Re: Globalstar elsets 0300 04/25 UT

Ron Lee (ronlee@pcisys.net)
Fri, 24 Apr 1998 21:58:32 -0600

The Florida Today Space Online site is excellent for getting info
on launches. I just recehecked some of the launch profile info and
I saw that after SECO 1, the booster and payloads are in a 185x1241 km (?)
orbit at about 52 degree inclination.  So unless the current "A" 
piece was a payload that fell off early (I doubt that), what we are
probably seeing in the "A" elset below is the booster and payloads
BEFORE the payloads were dispensed.  Unfortunately, it is cloudy here
and I cannot confirm that four payloads are currently close together.

My guess now is that the "E" piece below is the rocket

Ron Lee


At 09:41 PM 4/24/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Thanks to Craig for getting the other elsets. I added the "A" piece
>from earlier and I am still confused why we have two objects with
>a mean motion around 14.3 to 14.5.  I ran these elsets in Skymap
>and three (B, C, and D) are close together.  #25310 (the E piece)
>is offset and earlier, as you would expect a rocket in a lower
>orbit.  The "A" piece is WAY off compared to the rest.  I have a pass
>in less than an hour. If clouds do not interfere, I will use my
>telescope to find the payload objects. Hopefully I will see FOUR
>which would confirm a suspicion that the "A" piece mean motion is
>incorrect.  If anyone can observe these objects, look for FOUR
>objects close together rather than the THREE that these elsets
>would suggest.   Now if I could only see an on-orbit rocket burn!
>
>Ron Lee
>
>
>98023A                                           1240 x 194 km
>1 25306U 98023A   98114.94059181 -.00002699  00000-0  00000-0 0    19
>2 25306  51.9670  89.2400 0737135  66.4111 301.3103 14.52610767    15
>Globalstar 98023B
>1 25307U 98023B   98115.01044142  .00000000  00000-0  10000-3 0    17
>2 25307  52.0032  89.1871 0007583 162.3237 197.8380 13.00506706    06
>Globalstar 98023C
>1 25308U 98023C   98115.01040119  .00000000  00000-0  10000-3 0    18
>2 25308  52.0050  89.1851 0027079 140.8626 219.4689 12.96264982    04
>Globalstar 98023D
>1 25309U 98023D   98115.08713204  .00000000  00000-0  10000-3 0    18
>2 25309  51.9738  88.9407 0010025 271.9422  88.0783 13.03823992    10
>Globalstar 98023E
>1 25310U 98023E   98115.08034668  .00000000  00000-0  00000+0 0    15
>2 25310  52.9021  91.6896 0657871 239.0703 114.4486 14.36921684    12
>
>