Delta 2 strange inclination change

Philip Chien (kc4yer@amsat.org)
Sat, 17 Apr 1999 02:52:24 -0400

>>LANDSAT 7
>>1 25682U 99020A   99106.70303473 -.00005872  00000-0 -11354-2 0    42
>>2 25682  98.2243 175.2137 0020469 182.0067 178.1027 14.62942429   137
>>DELTA 2 R/B
>>1 25683U 99020B   99106.53026626  .00568309  78452-5  66567-3 0    29
>>2 25683 107.5837 169.1035 0385442 330.6038  27.3971 15.39514041   115

Tristan Cools <tcools@nic.INbe.net> said:

>This is strange.  I understand that the Delta rocket(25683/99020B) did make
>a fuel depletion burn and lowered its orbit for a soon reentry but why such
>a change of inclination ?  I would expect something like 98 degrees.

I am fairly sure that the elements are in error.  A 9 degree inclination
change at the Landsat deploy altitude would require a *MASSIVE* amount of
propellant, even with the dry mass of the Delta 2nd stage.



Philip Chien, KC4YER
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