Re: Preliminary TLEs for STS-114?

From: Robert Holdsworth (robbonz1@xtra.co.nz)
Date: Sat Jul 09 2005 - 14:16:08 EDT

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    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: <Skywayinc@aol.com>
    To: <SeeSat-L@satobs.org>
    Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 5:24 PM
    Subject: Preliminary TLEs for STS-114?
    
    
    >    Does anybody have access to preliminary TLEs for the upcoming Shuttle
    > mission?
    
    I believe this is covered in earlier posts?
    
    >
    >    I would assume that upon liftoff from Florida, the ISS will be running
    > roughly 15 to 20 minutes "ahead" of the Shuttle.  Here on the US East 
    > Coast, I
    > suspect that we might have a chance to see STS-114 trailing roughly that 
    > many
    > minutes behind the ISS on Wednesday evening and about half that amount on
    > Thursday evening. By Friday evening, both ISS and the orbiter should be 
    > docked and
    > will appear as a singular object.
    >
    
    Based on a launch time of 1951 UTC on 13 July NASA predicts the rendezvous 
    occurring at 16:28 UTC on the 15th. NB  take into account the launch window 
    is from 1945 to 1955 hours UTC, and the time of the rendezvous is stated as 
    approximate.  Presumably an exact time will be available once actual launch 
    time is known. (Incidentally NASA also indicates that the rendezvous may not 
    be broadcast, this would be disappointing.)
    
    There is a daylight pass of ISS south of Florida around 20 to 30 minutes 
    before Shuttle launch depending on exact launch time.
    
    You do not give your exact location, but basing predictions on Miami, 
    Florida sorry to say that there are NO visible passes of the ISS until the 
    17th and even that one and the following one on the 18th are shadow entries 
    with visibility being so brief as to be virtually unusable.
    
    I guess it may be worth checking Hearsat for any information on the radio 
    side of the operation in connection with invisible passes.
    
    Passes during this phase of the mission are low elevation to the South and 
    therefore brief at my location with some obstruction from hills, but with 
    careful observation and luck particularly with the weather we may have at 
    least one opportunity.
    
    
    Robert.
    Wainuiomata, New Zealand
    41.261S
    174.948E
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
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