X-37B OTV-1 search elements

From: Ted Molczan (ssl3molcz@rogers.com)
Date: Sun Apr 18 2010 - 05:45:48 UTC

  • Next message: Peter Wakelin: "SATOBS 2010 April 18"

    The launch window opens on 2010 Apr 21 at 22:44 UTC and closes on Apr 22 at
    01:08 UTC.
    
    I believe that the intended orbital inclination is approximately 28.5 deg.
    My guess is that the altitude will be about 300 km, but I have produced
    search elements spanning 220 km to 600 km. Generating ephemerides for each
    elset, and plotting them on a star chart, will facilitate searching.
    
    The elsets are based on shuttle elements found in Jonathan McDowell's
    archive, and rotated to the circumstances of the upcoming launch. For
    example, the first elset below is based on STS 33, specifically the second
    elset listed here:
    
    http://www.planet4589.org/space/elements/20900/S20935
    
    The elements are based on launch at the start of the window. The final three
    digits of the pseudo-catalogue number denote the altitude in kilometres.
    
    1 99220U          10111.98450060  .00528860  00000-0  25599-3 0    03
    2 99220  28.4678  22.5526 0006234 264.2180  21.9681 16.19915601    05
    
    1 99300U          10111.97660882  .00001250  00000-0  39176-5 0    03
    2 99300  28.4661  21.2106 0003454 327.2178 272.6926 15.90144682    02
    
    1 99360U          10111.97743067  .00033373  00000-0  25300-3 0    09
    2 99360  28.4689  22.5573 0004564 300.2120 301.7026 15.71112740    05
    
    1 99430U          10111.99875188  .00009181  00000-0  18000-3 0    08
    2 99430  28.4660  22.4687 0005932 276.7259  83.2674 15.46187004    05
    
    1 99480U          10111.97963507  .00008404  00000-0  27078-3 0    06
    2 99480  28.5234  20.5415 0005383 270.7227 343.6624 15.31069911    03
    
    1 99560U          10111.97988541  .00000064  00000-0  45874-5 0    00
    2 99560  28.4672  21.1953 0006068  37.3881 216.6091 15.03465913    03
    
    1 99600U          10111.93298538  .00000154  00000-0  00000-0 0    08
    2 99600  28.4530  21.3920 0022633  59.2926 301.0352 14.90080047    01
    
    I will follow-up in the next few days with a discussion of visibility
    windows, and the effects of launching later in the window. I will also
    estimate X-37B's standard visual magnitude.
    
    Ted Molczan
    
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