I searched for TiPS from 24 minutes before predicted time (as soon as the sky was dark enough) to 33 minutes after (when the track was getting too low and fog was beginning to form). This time I used the CCD camera with the wide lens but failed to find it on the 278 exposures made. I have successfully imaged TiPS before with the same camera and I should have found it. If the tether has broken I would still expect to see broken trails made by Ralph's and Norton's flashes. I've been trying to puzzle out what would happen to Ralph and Norton if the tether has broken. If prior to breakage eccentricity was exactly zero then I would think that, on breakage, that point would become the apogee of Ralph's new orbit and the perigee of Norton's. I believe the tether is/was only 4km long so the difference in mean motion of the two components would be small but, nevertheless, they would soon drift apart. I'll have another go soon when the southbound leg emerges from shadow and will scan the entire orbit if needed. Peter -- Peter Wakelin ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Sep 26 2006 - 09:08:19 EDT