I have updated my Decay Watch page at
http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/dkwatch/
with the final analysis for #26099 = 00- 13 B = Express 6-A Proton
rocket.
In its final notice, SpaceCom reports the decay at Mar 14 02:08 UTC +-7m
at 21.7 S, 135.0 W. The final two elsets, though, are...
Express 6-A Proton r 147 x 142 km
1 26099U 00013B 00073.89605066 .11756507 12654-4 18727-3 0 140
2 26099 51.6283 231.6798 0003859 295.0163 199.1260 16.48149268 287
Express 6-A Proton r 129 x 125 km
1 26099U 00013B 00074.17510417 .11841534 12823-4 63548-4 0 153
2 26099 51.6284 230.0747 0003031 281.2360 73.1651 16.54772340 323
...the latter one implying that it was still around for a northbound
equator crossing at 04:13 UTC.
Excluding last final elset, I get a decay at 01:42 UTC +-50m while
southbound near 20.2 S, 114.7 W, over the E Pacific. The final elset,
unless it is fictional, implies a large decrease in drag coefficient,
which might have happened as the rocket became aligned with the air-flow
so that it was flying like an arrow. Forcing a SatEvo evolution through
the equator crossing times implied by elsets at 00073.69, 00073.89 and
00074.17 leaves a residual of 1.2 sec at an elset at 00073.81, so the
final elset may not be too far wide of the mark. It is this latter
evolution that leads to my final decay time at Mar 14 04:56 +-2h near
2.9 N, 161.5 E. This has it decaying near a southbound equator crossing
to the N of the Soloman Is, NE of Australia.
Alan
--
Alan Pickup | COSPAR 2707: 55d53m48.7s N 3d11m51.2s W 156m asl
Edinburgh | Tel: +44 (0)131 477 9144 Fax: +44 (0)870 0520750
Scotland | SatEvo page: http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Mar 14 2000 - 12:47:33 PST