MDS 1 Fairing 1, Telstar 401 and Apple

From: Mir16609@aol.com
Date: Tue Mar 02 2004 - 23:27:57 EST

  • Next message: Patrick Wiggins: "Apple?"

    In PPAS Format:
    02-003 C 04-03-03  01:13:30.30JDG 146.3 0.2  18  8.13  +7.5->inv
    02-003 C  04-03-03 01:20:16.18JDG 161.8 0.4  20  8.09   +7.5->inv
    93-077 A 04-03-03 02:16:50.42JDG2009.6 0.4  20 100.48  +3.5->inv
    81-057 B 04-03-03 02:58:22.11JDG1881.6 0.3 109 17.263  +2.5->inv
    
    MDS 1 Fairing 2  (90012) has not been seen since late  2002 so I decided to 
    record the flash period for the other half of the fairing -  the one USSTRATCOM 
    decided to track. The flashes have slowed down from 7.8  seconds (April, 
    2003) to 8.1 seconds.
    
    Telstar 401 appears to be rotating  slightly faster.
    
    Apple refused to stop flashing once it got  started.  I recorded additional 
    flash times until 03:11UTC and the event  did not appear to be ending.  I am 
    reasoably certain that I did record the  beginning of the event.  Apple was not 
    flashing immediately before and  after I timed Telstar 401.  The brightest 
    flashes were from 2:48 to 2:53  UTC.  There were some dim (circa 11 mag) half 
    period flashes.
    
    Flash  times may be found  here:
    htt://www.geocities.com/iss25544/geo20040303.txt
    
    MDS 1  Fairing1
    1 27369U 02003C   04058.79150516 +.00000199 +00000-0  +92202-3 0 05064
    2 27369 028.7772 303.5022 7196277 249.8071 024.3090  02.29906203017242
    Telstar 401 
    1 22927U 93077A   04055.05838355  -.00000126  00000-0  00000+0 0  9842
    2 22927    5.7262  73.2503 0007956 295.2693  64.8087  1.00285269  36868
    APPLE                                             22347 x 22203 mi
    1 12545U 81057B   04052.87959132 -.00000159   00000-0  00000+0 0  4274
    2 12545  13.7786  14.6539  0026264   9.5158 350.4876  1.00022926 40848
    
    Cheers,
    Don  Gardner 39.1799 N, 76.8406 W, 100m  ASL
    http://hometown.aol.com/mir16609/
    http://www.howardastro.org  
    
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