Re: Shuttle Launch

From: Alan Pickup (alan@wingar.demon.co.uk)
Date: Fri Feb 11 2000 - 10:47:52 PST

  • Next message: Earl Needham: "Re: sat debris?"

    Neil Clifford <clifford@astro.ox.ac.uk> writes
    >sts99 and external tank (ice cloud in attendance, ET tumbling slowly) just
    >made a beautiful mag -2 pass over the UK.
    
    I second that :)  Both made a pass reaching ~70 deg in the N at about
    18:04 UTC as seen from Edinburgh. The two were about 1 deg apart but I'm
    not certain which was which. The brighter object was white and reached
    about mag -3, perhaps  -4, being slightly higher and leading the fainter
    one. The latter was about two mag fainter, probably varying, very
    distinctly orange and at the apex of several jet-like structures that
    changed continuously during the pass. One or two of the jets were fan-
    shaped close to the object and others, up to 2 deg away, were narrow and
    aligned perfectly with the object.
    
    As I watched, I assumed the fainter jetting object was the degassing
    external tank. However, after calmer reflection, I wonder whether the
    tank was the brighter object and the fainter jetting object was STS-99
    itself, perhaps firing its thrusters. 
    
    
    Alan
    -- 
     Alan Pickup | COSPAR 2707:  55d53m48.7s N  3d11m51.2s W   156m asl
     Edinburgh   | Tel: +44 (0)131 477 9144     Fax: +44 (0)870 0520750
     Scotland    | SatEvo page:   http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/
    
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