Decay watch: Nov 22

Alan Pickup (alan@wingar.demon.co.uk)
Mon, 22 Nov 1999 19:39:48 +0000

I have posted another update to my Decay Watch page at
      http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/dkwatch/

It covers:

#25551 = 98- 69 C = MightySat
  This decayed at Nov 21 17:30 UTC +-1h by my calculation during a SE
pass across the USA from Seattle, Washington, at 17:24 UTC to NW Florida
at 17:32. The decay point I find is near Little Rock, Arkansas, but
there is one hour uncertainty - enough to take in SpaceCom's decay point
E of Japan at 17:11 UTC +-3h. I compute the following predicted elset
for the final rev:
MightySat        1.0  1.0  0.0  7.5 d 0.25       116 x 113 km
1 25551U 98069C   99325.70691192  .96076663  19217+2  27751-3 0 93771
2 25551  51.5369  83.4019 0002174 290.0872  69.8894 16.59367926 55677

#22016 = 92- 39 C = GPS 2-14 r2
  I now predict this decay for Nov 23 13:59 +-5h near 34.8 N, 104.1 W.
Although this is over the USA (New Mexico) on an eastbound pass that
takes it from Los Angeles at 13:56 UTC to Charleston, SC, at 14:04, the
uncertainty is still several orbits.

#25934 = 99- 55 B = GPS 2R-3 Delta 2 r1
  My current prediction is for decay at Nov 22 22:28 +-3h near 31.7 N,
135.1 E. This prediction is unusually uncertain. The recent elsets show
a puzzling behaviour in the eccentricity which is probably not real. The
final rev above begins with a northbound equator crossing over Uganda
and continues to the Gulf of Aden, across N India to N apex over China.
My predicted decay point is just S of Japan before it slants SE-wards
across the Pacific. SpaceCom's latest prediction is for decay at Nov 22
21:11 +-4h at 23.1 N, 175.3 W.

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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