John Pike wrote in response to Walter Nissen's posting of Ron Coursen's Titan IV related obs: >>He reports seeing an object consistent with the >>anticipation at 0912, flashing with a 6-second period >This one I could understand as the RB. >>and a second bright object following in its path at 0914, >>flashing like a flash-cube, with a 1-second period. >This one I am having a bit more trouble with. I am assuming that this >"bright object" is the payload prior to the triplet separating, as I can't >immediately think of where another *bright* object would come from. I >confess that I am a theoretician rather than a practicioner, but on the face >of things this strikes me as an awfully short period for a rocket body [and >in any event, would not the initial object have been the lower beta RB??], >and I don't 'think' that the PL would normally be flashing like this if it >were functioning normally. Does anyone recall seeing something like this >previously?? The NOSS 2-1 payload carrier was observed for several days in June 1990, flying free of the Titan's 2nd stage. Russell Eberst's only reported observation included a 5 s irregular flash period. The Titan's second stage flashed with a 1 s period. I spoke with Ron Coursen myself this evening, and he told me that the rapid flasher abruptly stopped flashing at closest approach (maximum elevation) and did not flash as it receded. Flashes were estimated at magnitude zero, and they were very regular in frequency. He also reported that the slow flasher was flashing about every 12 s - the 6 s period he reported to Walter was from minima to maxima. It is unclear which of the present objects is the payload, but additional obs should provide the answer. Strangely, Ron Lee observed an apparent Titan IV object on the very next rev after Ron Coursen's obs, with nearly identical circumstances, yet he reported no flashing. It is not clear which object he saw, but the time and path are very consistent with Ron Coursen's first object. I am not surprised that Lee saw only one object, because the eastern sky was already getting bright. Coursen found the second object by accident. bye for now