Optical 11 September 2009

From: Greg Roberts (grr@telkomsa.net)
Date: Sat Sep 12 2009 - 09:19:34 UTC

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     Observations 11 September 2009
     -------------------------------------
    
     Cosatrak 1 (Computerised satellite Tracking System).
    Camera mount now carries two systems that can be operated
    together as two totally different sytems and computers used.
    
     Meade DSI Pro II Monochrome CCD camera without filters.
    using integration times of 5 sec min to 25 seconds maximum
    depending on brightness of sky in particular area.No image
    processing done, but some done automatically in the auto reduction
    software.
    
     Used with 4 inch SKYWATCHER refractor- model 1025 - fitted with home
    made focal reducer to give an f/2.56 system. Image scale is 6.56 arc
    sec/pixel and field of view 84.8 x 63.2 arc minutes. Shows 15th
    magnitude stars in real time with reasonably good conditions.
    
     Exposure time to nearest second inserted into image FITS header
    from PC clock which is periodically checked against the time
    from my GPS unit.
    
     Site 0433 : Longitude 18.51294 deg East, Latitude -33.94058 deg,
    Elevation 10 metres-situated in Pinelands (Cape Town),South Africa
    
     FOR CLASSFD.TLE:
     ======================
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911173343000 16 15 1856258-004856 28  +139 25
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911173504000 16 15 1857472-005024 28  +131 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911174031000 16 15 1903162-005625 38  +130 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911174447000 16 15 1907359-010053 18  +129 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911175512000 16 15 1918024-011115 18  +131 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911180757000 16 15 1930532-012252 28  +128 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911181504000 16 15 1938029-012846 18  +129 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911182450000 16 15 1947536-013615 28  +128 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911184104000 16 15 2004166-014654 38
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911184718000 16 15 2010326-015025 38  +122 03
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911185654000 16 15 2020140-015510 18  +123 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911185820000 16 15 2021408-015549 18  +123 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911185949000 16 15 2023108-015628 38
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911190144000 16 15 2025068-015716 38
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911190418000 16 15 2027419-015818 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911190612000 16 15 2029375-015904 17  +122 02
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911190714000 16 15 2030393-015925 28  +122 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911191047000 16 15 2034142-020040 18
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911191244000 16 15 2036125-020118 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911191522000 16 15 2038518-020207 28  +121 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911191747000 16 15 2041191-020248 28  +122 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911192115000 16 15 2044489-020342 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911194128000 16 15 2105132-020651 28  +124 03
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911194243000 16 15 2106293-020656 18
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911195228000 16 15 2116193-020704 38
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911200758000 16 15 2131583-020534 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911201226000 16 15 2136289-020444 18  +121 03
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911202159000 16 15 2146076-020222 18  +118 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911203441000 16 15 2158567-015800 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911205248000 16 15 2217131-014924 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911210503000 16 15 2229346-014153 38
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911211143000 16 15 2236166-013727 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911211518000 16 15 2239533-013450 18  +102 01
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911211946000 16 15 2244229-013128 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911212447000 16 15 2249265-012728 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911212709000 16 15 2251494-012533 28
     22787 93 056A   0433 G 20090911212802000 16 15 2252424-012455 28  +145 04
    
     STRAYS SEEN:
     ==============
     M-352 R/B  RANGE 612 kms
     21695 91 062B   0433 G 20090911174031000 16 25 1902969-003458 28
     Probably meteor - no satellite match
     00002           0433 G 20090911184718000 16 15 2010433-020643 29  +124 06
     SL-12 R/B(2)  variable
     20836 74 060F   0433 G 20090911185654000 16 15 2019139-015620 28  +129 01
     20836 74 060f   0433 G 20090911190612000 16 15 2028263-012612 18  +133 02
     ATLAS 2AS CENTAUR range 14060 kms steady
     28253 04 017B   0433 G 20090911201226000 16 15 2137303-021541 28  +082 00
    
     Notes:
     ========
     (1) The purpose of this observation session was prompted by the PAN
     launch.It was found that PAN was/is transmitting on a frequency unique
     to geostationary satellites of the UFO series - ( further details may
     be found at http://spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av018/.)  So as to be able to
     detect PAN, once in geostationary orbit, it was necessary to do a check
     on the transmitting status of the UFO satellites above my location.
    
     (2) This I started on the 10th September and identified two with no
     problem but encountered a problem with UFO-F09 and UFO-F02 , which at
     the time were close together in my sky, and I could detect no
     transmissions from either predicted location so I did a little scanning
     with my dish and found a signal about midway between the two-which
     satellite was it? I have failed to see UFO-F02 when tried several times
     during the past month or so so it was "lost". The transmission received
     indicated it was UFO-F02 but about 10 degrees away in azimuth from where
     predicted ( and not seen previously). UFO-F09 is a drifter so I waited
     until yesterday when the seperation between UFO-F02 and UFO-F09 would
     be greater.
    
     (3) On the 11th September I again tried UFO-F09 - nil so Im pretty
     confident this satellite is not transmitting nor operational -hence its
     drifting orbit. The suspected UFO-F02 was still in the same location
     where observed by radio approximately 24 hours earlier. I was now certain
     this was UFO-F02, made a note of the dish bearings, compared it to the
     predicted (not found position) so had an idea what the "offset" was.
    
     (4) As soon as it was dark enough lastnight (11th September) I set the
     optical tracking system on the bearings obtained from the dish which had
     been monitoring the radio signal the whole time,and sure enough there
     was a satellite in the field of view which the program HEAVENSAT showed
     contained no other satellites.Over the next few hours I took the images,
     whose positions are reported above, as the satellite moved towards its
     highest point, went through the highest point and then started decreasing
     altitude. During the entire excercise the radio equipment was recording
     the doppler shifted frequency.
    
     (5) I followed the satellite optically until it went into shadow. About
     two minutes later the doppler frequency, which had been decreasing started
     to increase .The satellite was now obviously on internal power as it was
     in shadow and I monitored the doppler frequency until the satellite left
     shadow when the doppler frequency reversed its direction and started to
     decrease again. The total change in frequency was of the order of 600 Hz-
     I have still to do further analysis of the doppler.
    
     (6) As best I can recall this is the first time I have used a dish to
     pinpoint a signal in the sky and then optically acquire the signal
     source so I have proved to myself, at least, that the dish pointing
     accuracy is good enough for optical work.
    
     (7) One thing that was very noticeable is how the satellite increased
     in brightness as the phase angle decreased as it approached shadow
     entry, changing from about magnitude +13.5/+14 to magnitude +10 or so.
    
     (8) APEX gives the following orbit for the object from the above
     positions as:
    
     osculating elements for epoch 2009-09-11 21h16m32.5s UT
     semi-major axis = 42167.2 Km
     eccentricity = 0.000326
     inclination  = 06.6319 degrees
     RA Ascending node= 046.6117 degrees
     Arg of perigee = 116.167 degrees
     Mean Anomaly = 176.007 degrees
     sub-satellite longitude 28.8 degrees east.
    
      As can be seen this closely matches those of UFO-F02 except for the mean 
    motion.
    
      Sorry for such a long report but I think it illustrates what can be
     done using a combination of radio and optical tracking. All optical
     processing was done using APEX, whilst radio work was done using
     SPECTRUM LABORATORY with a 6 foot dish feeding into a low noise high
     gain preamplifier and then into an AR8600 receiver.
    
     Now to do the radio part which I wont bore SeeSat readers with!
    
     Cheers
    Greg
    
    
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