SV: Keyholes USA 116 and 129 have manoeuvred
Björn Gimle (b_gimle@algonet.se)
Thu, 9 Sep 1999 20:12:31 +0200
> Pierre Neirinck reports that both of the satellites in the standard Keyhole
> orbits, 95066A and 96072A, have manoeuvred.
> ....
> Russell Eberst observed 95066A on 8 Sep 99 at about 23:47 UTC, near the
> horizon, about 3.3 min late relative Pierre's most recent pre-manoeuvre
> elements:
>
> USA 116 15.0 3.0 0.0 5.1 v
> 1 23728U 95066 A 99239.97184560 .00016877 00000-0 34107-3 0 2462
> 2 23728 97.9100 351.3704 0437000 67.9273 296.6555 14.83338299 09
>
I should have been more active, but forgot to check the progress of MM,
and the overdue(?) correction - see
http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/Jul-1999/0076.html
I observed USA 116 on Sep.4 at 22:36:59.6, 22:37:29.1, 22:38:09.1 UT
right after shadow exit, but I was using a new voice-activated tape
recorder instead of pen-and-paper. I seem to have moved the volume
control, so it never started, after the initial tests :-(>
The first position probably was RA 10.68 h, dec.+53.7 (2000)
I tried from town on Sep.8, but I only waited 3 min after prediction.
Anyway, my binocular limit was about 5.5 due to haze and city lights.
Since 14.83 is near the usual max.MM, and since BOTH satellites
maneuvred, it was probably a large reboost of about 0.10, so it
must have occurred unly a few hours earlier, and the satellites
will be delayed by another 10 min./day.
-- bjorn.gimle@tieto.se (office) --
-- b_gimle@algonet.se (home) http://www.algonet.se/~b_gimle --
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