re: Mir resolved in shadow??, Pageos fragment 05994

Walter Nissen (dk058@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Thu, 7 Sep 1995 08:39:46 -0400

> From: thomsona@netcom.com (Allen Thomson) 
> Subject: Mir resolved in shadow?? 
 
>                              TRAKSAT  Version 2.80 
>                    Tracking Station:  PROVO, UT, USA 
>                        [ Line Of Sight (LOS) Visibility ] 
 
>         [Y in the last column indicates Mir was in direct sunlight, 
>            N indicates it had passed into the Earth's shadow.] 
 
>     1 16609U          95238.15420642  .00002456           39708-4 0  2693 
>     2 16609  51.6459 167.3971 0003174  32.5065 327.6121 15.57289705543838 
 
>     Date    Time (UTC)   Azim     Elev   Range    Ra        Dec        Alt  V 
>             HR:MN:Sec    Deg      Deg    Km       HH:MM:SS  DD:MM:SS   Km 
> Sun 27Aug95 04:50:00.0   318.61  21.72    927.71  12:42:19 +50:25:30   399  Y 
 
QuickSat says Mir was over 50 km and 20-some seconds into the shadow by 
the time (4h50m8s) that TS thought it was no longer visible.  This is one 
of many known deficiencies in TS.  However, in this case, it does not 
affect your argument. 
 
I guess I have two reservations about this identification.  One, it seems 
that it would be quite difficult to see a shape in a silhouette of a 
figure as small as Mir from the ground.  Two, is it logical to believe 
that someone capable of correctly converting VIT (village idiot time) into 
UTC would describe the ESE horizon as the southern?  I think we may need 
to know more.  It is an interesting idea, to be sure; I might have guessed 
experimental military aircraft. 
 
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Here is the latest OIG elset for 
Pageos DA 
1 05994U 63014DA  95248.83789368  .04284649  16092-2  22818+0 0  8829 
2 05994  83.7225 226.8861 2726460 135.1914 250.4701  9.88216807191021 
 
Cheers. 
 
Walter Nissen             dk058@cleveland.freenet.edu             216-243-4980

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First of all things was chaos; and next broad-bosomed Earth.   Hesiod