----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Molczan" <molczan@rogers.com> > It could be just the motivation we need to greatly advance our capabilities. > [...] > > We could also benefit from a web-based system to enable observers to find out > which objects have the highest priority for observation at that time. They could > download a master priority list, for use by ObsPlan to generate their nightly > observation schedule. I envision providing observers the means to specify their > personal priority objects, which would have the highest priority of all. > If we do indeed lose our source of TLEs I'd be interested in creating a web site that would be similar to H-A. Based on your location, limiting magnitude ability, and observing schedule, it would pick the highest priority satellites which have orbits in the most need of improving accuracy. e.g. high altitude satellites that haven't been seen in a very long time or satellites in high drag situations that haven't been seen lately. Also special requests could be awarded. e.g. someone might say that a satellite was early or late and suspect maneuver and request a satellite have a high priority. Of course people visiting the site would have an explanation of why a satellite had a "high" priority for observing and the observer can choose what to do. It should be easy to also create links on this web page that when clicked would automatically take you to heavens-above showing you the star chart for your location, time, satellite, etc. (heavens-above is designed very friendly in this manner). Eventually the whole process could be automated - people enter observations into the website, orbits are automatically updated (observers would have to be rated to their experience and historical accuracy). Orbits might only be updated if at least 2 different people's observations matched a new orbit or there could be tentative TLEs based on one observation. We could have a few trusted satobs community members have special privileges to update obs data, delete obs data, update TLEs, things like that. Individuals could always update their own obs data if they realized they made a mistake. This way observing would be more fun for me because I would know that my observation would be useful and a welcome contribution to bettering the accuracy of a satellites TLE. I'd know that I was helping someone instead of just enjoying the wonder of it all and taking pride in a difficult or well done obs. Maybe the website would be able to create TLEs on the fly based on what Ted seems to be referring to as better "orbital models". In other words, the site could take an old TLE and generate a best guess new TLE. Maybe heavens-above could do that also if we gave Chris Peat an algorithm. Also flashers could be modeled better and we could request people to search for expected flashers based on their location. If we can get good prediction models for flashers, this data could enhance the h-a website to allow more people to experience geo flashers just as many people have been able to see the iridium flares. I am a very experienced and capable programmer and this is the kind of thing I would enjoy doing for the satobs community (more fun than observing -- for me). - George Roberts http://www.pobox.com/~gr ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Dec 20 2003 - 12:38:14 EST