MIDAS meeting (in the sky)

Bram Dorreman (a183231@nlevdpsb.snads.philips.nl)
Sat, 8 Mar 1997 17:10:06 -0100

 
Object: Special MIDAS meeting
While preparing my observing session for tonight
I noticed that the fleet of MIDAS satellites had
transits within almost one hour and all going
northbound. If they still functioned I would have
been observed while possibly observing them.
But I do not expect they had such a good resolution
as KH 11 for example. Moreover if I am informed well
these satellites were built to detect bright infrared
plumes as from rocket launches. I am not that bright
even not when I am in my garden when it is almost
freezing.
Here a list of those transits:
  name      satid      ncat     culmination     height
                             hh mm ss    Az el    km
MIDAS 3  1961- 18  A  00163  18 17 25   101 89   3388
MIDAS 4  1961- 28  A  00192  19 05 00   237 48   3581
MIDAS 7  1963- 30  A  00622  19 12 57   102 72   3725
MIDAS 5  1962- 10  A  00271  19 16 13   117 49   3358
MIDAS 6  1963- 14  A  00574  19 16 48   245 38   3663
MIDAS 9  1966- 89  A  02481  19 22 15   251 54   3711
MIDAS 8  1966- 77  A  02403  19 23 52   110 52   3719
 
All those objects are still slowly flashing but to follow
them is a tiring business. And there are so many more
objects to follow.
 
------
--  Bram Dorreman, COSPAR station 4160, Achel 1
--  latitude 51d 15' 49" north  longitude 5d 28' 38" east
--          +51.26361 degrees            -5.47722 degrees
--  member of SeeSat-L
--  Internet: A183231@nlevdpsb.snads.philips.nl
------
 
 -- Kind regards, Bram Dorreman
 -- Origin IT Systems Management
 -- tel: +31 40 2788372
 -- fax: +31 40 2786810