Space station orbit raised to avoid debris
Bill T Bard (wtba@eci-esyst.com)
Tue, 26 Oct 1999 14:48:25 -0400
FYI
A NASA status report, 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, October 26, 1999, Mission
Control Center,
Houston, Texas
The International Space Station's orbit was raised slightly earlier
today as a
precaution in avoiding a piece of space debris.
The maneuver occurred at 10:03 a.m. EDT and raised the overall orbit
of the ISS by
about 1.5 kilometers (1 statute mile) using both of the Zarya control
module's orbit
adjust engines. The burn lasted 5 seconds and changed the overall
station velocity by
1 meter per second.
Predictions Sunday by Space Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, CO,
showed that a spent Pegasus rocket body would pass within about 1.4
kilometers
(.8 statute mile) of the station if a maneuver were not performed.
The time of closest
approach is forecast to occur about 4 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.
As a result of the burn, the closest distance of the debris to the
station should be
more than 25 kilometers (15 statute miles).
The ISS was maneuvered to the burn attitude using Zarya's motion
control system at
9:30 this morning EDT followed by the burn 33 minutes later. The
station was then
maneuvered back to its normal position with Unity pointed at the
Earth in a slow spin
to minimize propellant usage and provide even temperatures on the
station's
components.
All systems aboard the station continue to operate in excellent
fashion and no further
activity related to debris avoidance is planned.
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