Cos 398: Correction and Question
jvarney@quiknet.com
Thu, 21 Dec 1995 02:48:16 -0500
In my earlier post I wrote regarding Cosmos 398:
>the orbit is fully "circularized." I use the
>quotes because at this point the orbit is not circular; it is
>actually a spiral without eccentricity. Apogee and perigee no longer
>exist.
I made this conclusion based on the reported decay of Cosmos 398
on Dec 11 at 06 UT.
J.M. Marchant's quote from Aviation Week:
>"it fell into
>the atmosphere and impacted about 200 miles north of the Falkland Islands
>at 2040 GMT"
A date wasn't given, but I assume it's Dec. 10. In that case, the orbit
was still slightly eccentric (about 25 km difference between semi-major
and semi-minor axes) at decay and had not circularized as I had
said earlier.
Interestingly, the decay point of the Falklands is in an area where the
geoid transitions from a "hole" to a "hill" -- coincidence? What is the
consensus out there with regards to any relation between localized hills
and dales in the earth's figure and inducing decay?
Good Passes,
Jim
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Jim Varney | 121^ 23' 54" W, 38^ 27' 28" N | Sacramento, CA
Civil Engineer | Elev. 20 ft. |jvarney@quiknet.com
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