ETS 6 plus a couple of other PPAS reports

From: Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Date: Tue Oct 21 2003 - 05:51:18 EDT

  • Next message: Peter Wakelin: "SATOBS 2003 October 20/21"

    I thought I'd try to see ETS 6 (94-056A, 23230) and, even 
    though the range was about 24,000 km, there it was!  Some 
    of the flashes might have been +4.0.  PPAS report:
    
    94- 56 A 03-10-21 03:18:57   EC  433.3 0.2  46  9.418 +4.5->inv
    
    GMS-4 Rk (89-070B, 20230) is a very fast flasher, but after 
    trying twice in the last few nights I'm still uncertain of 
    its flash period; it may be about .8 sec.  Brightest maxima 
    were maybe +3.5.  It's an H-1 upper stage.
    
    Here are a couple of more:
    
    Galaxy 7 (many half-period flashes visible around phase 
    shift; last flash I could see with 10x50s was about three 
    minutes earlier than the previous night)
    92- 72 A 03-10-21 03:04:33   EC 2045.0 0.2  10 204.50 +1.5->inv
    
    MER-B Delta Rk (broad maxima)
    03- 32 B 03-10-21 00:53:32   EC  152.9 4.0   4 38     
    
    Site was E. Ney Museum grounds, 30.307N, 97.727W, 150m.
    
    I was thinking that 90019, with its mean motion of 11.968 
    and some drag, may be making two passes per night for quite 
    some time and probably has been for a while.  Someone was 
    bound to see it eventually, with so many chances and it 
    being pretty bright.  Having a six-plus-degree field of 
    view does help one to see interlopers.  Nice weather helps 
    also!
    
    Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA
    
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