Re: Ir 24/46 Flare

From: Rod Sladen (rodsladen@crosswinds.net)
Date: Mon Jan 29 2001 - 01:42:45 PST

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    Jari <finn@main.jetnet.ab.ca> wrote:
    
    > at the appointed time of 02:05:08 i got the flare at Az 151 
    > deg El 41 deg. Mag -8.
    > However the Iridium TLEs i have says it was Ir 46 while the 
    > McCants.tle says it was Ir 24. 
    
    It is the operational satellite known to the Iridium organisation as Iridium
    46.  The confusion arises because it is tracked by Spacecom under the catalog
    number 24905, which was that originally assigned to Iridium 24, and launch id.
    97043C which is also really appropriate to Iridium 24.  
    
    Iridium 24 is tumbling, and is tracked as 25105 97082B, which catalog number
    and launch id. originally belonged to Iridium 46.
    
    Somewhere along the line, Spacecom got the two mixed up, and for a considerable
    time labelled them with the wrong names.  The name mismatch was resolved in
    April 2000.
    
    > i noted a -2 flash almost due East approx 10 deg above Castor
    > at 02:03:35 27 Jan UTC +/- 3 sec.
    
    This flash *could* have come from some entirely different satellite.  As far
    as I can work out, there were no other *Iridium* satellites (operational or
    tumbling) in the area at the time.
    -- 
    Rod Sladen, Beeston, Nottinghamshire, UK, 52.923N, 1.219W
    
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