As expected, NASA has posted pre-flight estimated elements to the following site (thank you Gerhard Holtkamp for the alert): http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/orbi t/SHUTTLE/SVPOST.html I have appended the elsets covering the first 16 h after launch. Shortly after MECO (main engine cut-off), the shuttle will pass over Europe. In much of the U.K., the sun may not quite have set. The shuttle has been visually observed with sun still above the horizon, so this will be a good test of skill for those who wish to try. Observers further east and south will have better conditions. NASA's MECO 2-line elset has a mean motion of 17.52 rev/d, which is erroneous; so I converted the given True of Day Rotating (TDR) [aka Earth-Fixed Greenwich (EFG)] Cartesian state vector to SGP4, using Ken Ernandes' VEC2TLE program. Our web site has a link to Ken's program: http://www.satobs.org/orbsoft.html#Other The OMS-2 burn will occur soon after the first pass visible from Europe. The NC-1 burn will occur prior to the first pass visible from North America. Ted Molczan 1. MECO: use from July 13 at 20:00 UTC until 20:29 UTC MECO 55 X 230 km 1 99114U 05194.83427083 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 01 2 99114 51.6438 124.7698 0133625 347.8436 69.9862 16.48995905 01 2. OMS-2: use from July 13 at 20:29 UTC until Jul 14 at 00:53 UTC OMS-2 155 X 229 km 1 99114U 05194.88548505 .00189937 00000-0 37621-3 0 9018 2 99114 51.6437 124.4833 0055833 342.1744 17.7489 16.30388814 26 3. NC-1: use from Jul 14 at 00:53 UTC until 12:08 UTC NC-1 227 X 307 km 1 99114U 05195.06995586 .00189937 00000-0 37621-3 0 9025 2 99114 51.6480 123.4651 0060182 182.0050 178.0896 16.02742764 58 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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