Pleas Help Find EARTHWATCH Spacecraft

Bill Tynan (btynan@hilconet.com)
Tue, 30 Dec 1997 17:00:57 -0600

NOTE: This was posted to the amsat-bb mailing list.  I thought SeeSat people
might also be interested.  Dave, N9LTD

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Hi and Happy New Year.

AMSATers, particularly those in the Southern Hemisphere are asked to help
find the EARTHWATCH Spacecraft.  It was launched from Russia last week and
apparently stopped transmitting over Christmas.  Rex Richardson of Orbital
Sciences Corp. has asked for our help.  It is they who are to conduct the
thermal vacuum testing for Phase 3D. So, I think we owe it to them to try
to help them if we can.

The EARTHWATCH spacecraft parameters are as follows:

Frequency: 401.5 Mhz
Modulation FSK @ 192000 BPS ( I believe it is a burst at a 1 sec rep rate)

The Ephemeris sets are as follows:
NORAD TWO LINE ELEMENTS:

1.  25123U 97085A  97363.20916818  +.00003168  +0.0000-0  +12102-3 0  00353

2. 25123 097.2987 078.9864 0006224 096.5759 263.6190 15.27335732000717

NAVSPACUR ONE LINE ELEMENTS
1.  25123.5375799.8961343.00663.0006224.2703285.9480360.2702742971229
IF YOU MAKE ANY CONTACT PLEASE RESPOND  to Rx Richardson at
rexrichardson@oscsystems.com

Thanks for your help.

73,

Bill Tynan W3XO