Decay watch: February 27

Alan Pickup (alan@wingar.demon.co.uk)
Sat, 27 Feb 1999 23:49:48 +0000

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Object: #23907 = 96- 29 B = NOSS 2-3 Titan r
        but with some uncertainty about the catalog number of
        this (still) classified decayer.

Decay prediction:
Source   Prediction made    Predicted decay at      Latitude Longitude
               UTC                UTC                  deg      deg

SatEvo     Feb 27 23:25     Mar  8 18:00 +-2d         (not computed)

Latest elset by Pierre Neirinck via Rainer Kracht:
NOSS 2-3 r       9.8  3.0  0.0  5.               259 x 240 km
1 23907U 96029 B  99058.18092900  .00500000  00000-0  54999-3 0    04
2 23907  63.4305 214.4886 0014153 109.4211 250.8075 16.09009493    07

SatEvo predicted elsets:
NOSS 2-3 r       9.8  3.0  0.0  5.               255 x 237 km
1 23907U 96029 B  99059.05070314  .00701277  23049-3  71521-3 0 90005
2 23907  63.4301 211.0979 0013613 109.4223 250.7247 16.10180075   145
NOSS 2-3 r       9.8  3.0  0.0  5.               251 x 234 km
1 23907U 96029 B  99060.04393481  .00778241  28939-3  72058-3 0 90003
2 23907  63.4296 207.2184 0012956 109.4239 250.7162 16.11646700   306
NOSS 2-3 r       9.8  3.0  0.0  5.               246 x 230 km
1 23907U 96029 B  99061.03621246  .00876139  37403-3  72630-3 0 90003
2 23907  63.4291 203.3339 0012247 109.4256 250.7068 16.13284144   466
NOSS 2-3 r       9.8  3.0  0.0  5.               240 x 225 km
1 23907U 96029 B  99062.02742028  .00994645  45757-3  72515-3 0 90001
2 23907  63.4284 199.4438 0011478 109.4275 250.6966 16.15133520   626

Note: A fit using earlier elsets suggests that Pierre may have
underestimated the current drag term. The SatEvo prediction uses
Pierre's elset with the drag term replaced by .00646194. Leaving the
drag term unmodified would lead to decay about March 11.5.
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Object: #16683 = 86- 31 A = Molniya 3-28

Correction to my final decay watch note on this, posted on February 25:
My final analysis of the decay was made at 20:30 UTC on February 25 and
not at the time stated.
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Alan
-- 
 Alan Pickup | COSPAR 2707:   55d53m48.7s N   3d11m51.2s W   156m asl
 Edinburgh   | Home:   alan@wingar.demon.co.uk    +44 (0)131 477 9144
 Scotland    | SatEvo page:     http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/