Larry's satellites
Rob Matson (Rob_Matson@cpqm.saic.com)
27 Mar 1996 16:01:17 -0700
There are a number of candidates, though I think we've nailed down one of
them. The one that started on the Polaris-side of the Big Dipper and
disappeared shortly after passing through the handle was almost certainly
NORAD #23088, which was the Zenit 2nd stage for Cosmos 2278. Did you happen
to notice if it was flashing? This booster used to flash a couple times per
second!
I found a couple satellites that passed thru the bowl of the Big Dipper
heading in the direction of Polaris. The better candidate appears to be NORAD
#15516, which is Meteor 2-12. Dimmer, but also possible was #17527 -- Momo 1
(MOS 1). I was expecting one of the Lacrosse birds to fit the bill (due to
the color), but the elements in N2L-310 don't show a pass within 10 minutes of
the target time. I'll open up the search and play with the drag a little to
see if one or the other Lacrosses is in the right general area... --Rob