LAUNCH OF SHUTTLE OBSERVED FROM NEW JERSEY

Jay Respler (jrespler@injersey.com)
Sun, 12 Jan 1997 19:07:17 -0500 (EST)

The shuttle was launched this morning 4:27:24 EST (times estimated from CHU). 
After watching take off on CNN, we went out on our back deck (where I had
shoveled off 3" of unexpected snow).  

Judy spotted a flame rising in the south at 4:34:45.  The
shuttle traveled across the SE as a large point of light much brighter than
Venus, about 15 deg high.  In binoculars, the cone shaped exhaust was easily
visible.  The lower part, at an angle  \  was much brighter than the faint
upper portion  /    

4:36:10  Flames started pulsing off and on till 4:37:00  when flames went off
and shuttle went behind a tree.   It was not visible again after that.

Using these pre-launch predictions, I looked for the shuttle on its next pass.

  40.283  74.233  129.   JAY RESPLER              1950 14.0  3 F F T T F
***  1997 Jan  12  Sun morning  *** Times are AM EST  ***  1744  626
 H  M  S Tim Azi ElC Dir  Mag Dys F  Hgt Shd  Rng  R A  Dec RCS  Name
 6  8 57  .0 323 25   85 19.9   0 6  212  15  461  634 55.5     STS-81

At 6:10, something came by at mag 5 1/2.  This is much fainter than I expected,
but I didn't find anything else that this might be.  I'll have to wait for
actual current elements to see if it could have been STS.
 
However, when Mir came by, it was much brighter than predicted, about as bright
as Venus!
***  1997 Jan  12  Sun morning  *** Times are AM EST  ***  1744  626
 H  M  S Tim Azi ElC Dir  Mag Dys F  Hgt Shd  Rng  R A  Dec RCS  Name
 6 15 26  .0 321 26   84   .4   2 5  249  64  517  653 54.9     .Mir       


As long as I was up, I waited for Bion Rk.  This came by as bright as Vega.

***  1997 Jan  12  Sun morning  *** Times are AM EST  ***  1744  626
 H  M  S Tim Azi ElC Dir  Mag Dys F  Hgt Shd  Rng  R A  Dec RCS  Name
 6 25 44  .2 298 26   85 19.0   2 8  149  29  317  812 37.5      BION 11 R   


All-in-all, a nice morning.

Jay Respler
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                JRespler@InJersey.com
     Satellite Tracker * Early Typewriter Collector
                Freehold,  New Jersey