Re[2]: SeeSat and Kosovo

JBARKER (JBARKER@arinc.com)
Wed, 31 Mar 1999 15:08 -0500 

     First of all the US does not have an obligation to publicly publish 
     any satellite elements.  No one can claim a "right" to any satellite 
     elements.  The US Space Command publicly publishes orbital elements 
     for selected satellites as a free service, not because of any 
     obligation that it has.  What other countries publish any satellite 
     elements?
     
     The US has the right to publish or not publish any satellite elements 
     that it wants to.  In the case of certain military satellites the US 
     has an obligation NOT to publicly publish those elements because to do 
     so would compromise the investment of the taxpayer dollars that it 
     cost to build, launch and maintain them.
     
     Jeff Barker


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: SeeSat and Kosovo
Author:  kfetter@geocities.com (Kevin Fetter) at SMTPGATE
Date:    3/31/99 9:28 AM


At 03:37 PM 3/31/99 +0100, you wrote: 
>Hi everybody!
>
>Wouldn't it be a good idea to stop publishing observation 
>of classified NATO reconnaissance satellites for some time? 
>We should assume that yugoslav military makes good use any
>source of information about these satellites for their purpose. 
>
>Rainer
>
>
>
     
They yugoslav military might use the information on what spy satellite's 
are visible, and then hide certain object's so the us doesn't know about 
them. Is orbital elements for usa military satellite's the only elements 
not released by norad, are there certain other country's military 
satellite's for which they don't supply elements for, because they are part 
of nato. Since the russian military must be traking us military 
satellite's, to bad they don't have a
site where they could supply orbital elements for these satellite's. I 
don't think the usa would be happy about russia releasing elements for the 
us military satellite's, but I don't see a problem, since the usa releases 
elements for russian military satellite's. Last time I checked the usa 
doesn't own space, so what gives them, the right to try and hide the 
satellite's, by not releasing elements for them. India has there own space 
program and there own satellite's such as IRS-1D , and since india is 
tracking this satellite, they could easily track low earth orbit 
satellite's such as lacrosse, and then hide certain things from the usa, 
remember the nuclear bomb incident. So it makes no sense to not release 
elements for us military satellite's. Are am I wrong.
     
Kevin