A note of caution about the search elements, kindly updated by Kevin Fetter: http://satobs.org/seesat/Oct-2003/0222.html they are derived from the previous DMSP launch (99067A / 25991), which entered a slightly lower orbit than its recent predecessors, making its orbital period about 8 s shorter, on average. If today's launch reverts to the higher altitude orbit, then the object will arrive nearly 2 min early per day after launch. This should not be a problem, as long as appropriate allowances are made. If cloudy weather prevents prompt acquisition (within a day or two) of the object, then I will issue an additional search elset, based upon one of the higher possible orbits, to help bracket the search. The orbit is well placed for observation by the majority of active positional observers, in the northern and southern hemispheres. Finally, its is worth watching NASA/OIG; initial elements of the previous DMSP were issued about an hour after launch, and updates continued for 24 days before being withheld. I don't know whether or not that was policy, or an error; either way, the object will be easy to track. Even if elements appear, we can assume that their availability will be temporary, so probably would be a good idea to start obtaining positional observations now, to provide for a smooth transition to hobbyist tracking. Ted Molczan ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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