Re: WIRE Elsets + Visibility

Roland Vanderspek (roland@blitz.mit.edu)
Fri, 5 Mar 1999 16:29:40 -0500 (EST)

> Mir16609@aol.com said:
> 
> >These elsets from OIG would suggest visible passes this evening for the USA:
> >
> >UNK                                              591 x 540
> >1 25648U 99011C   99064.49820708  .00063660  00000-0  49751-2 0    36
> >2 25648  97.5279 259.9924 0036585 167.6037 192.5907 15.00281204    65
> >UNK                                              585 x 540
> >1 25647U 99011B   99064.16470773 +.00001241 +00000-0 +10000-3 0 00035
> >2 25647 097.5454 259.6678 0032625 171.9763 188.1679 15.01324543000003
> >WIRE ?                                           588 x 539
> >1 25646U 99011A   99064.36482496  .00000000  00000-0 -16070-1 2    37
> >2 25646  97.5325 259.8708 0035257 167.5521 192.6468 15.01107549    36
> 
> My guess is the additional object (B?) would be the cover of the cryogenic
> dewar which was ejected after injection in to orbit.  It would be a fairly
> small object.  Normally with a single satellite Pegasus launch you'd expect
> to see only the payload and 3rd stage in orbit.
> 
> According to NASA the WIRE spacecraft is in a spin which is shouldn't have.
> The best guess is the cyrogen is venting in some propulsive manner.

There is the possibility that the additional object is the telescope cover.
One theory for the WIRE situation is that the telescope cover came off early,
the view of the warm Earth started heating the cryogens, and the excess
venting of warmed cryogen caused the spin.  

Has anyone seen any modulation in the WIRE brightness?  An estimate might 
be 10 RPM.

Roland Vanderspek
roland@space.mit.edu