RE: Pinpoint flashes
Ted Molczan (molczan@fox.nstn.ca)
Wed, 17 Jul 1996 08:56:11 -0400
Jim Varney wrote:
>Like I said earlier, I also saw Cosmos 1900 glint in the west and northwest.
>A few days ago I watched USA 81 show what must have been 10 small glints in
>a half-second (it looked like an arcing electrical connection), also in the
>west. Notice that all three of these objects are payloads.
The two kh-11s I have observed in the early
(western) orbital plane (84122A and 88099A), both
exhibited bright glints and flare-ups for a few seconds
at about azimuth 300 deg, and elevation 50 deg, so they
fit this pattern too. Too bad they are no longer in
orbit. A successor has yet to be launched, but is
expected.
Ted