SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 568 (DRAFT) 1 March 2001
SPACEWARN Bulletin Number 568 (DRAFT)
| 01 March 2001 |
|---|
A publication of NASA’s National Space Science Data Center/World Data Center for Satellite Information as the WWAS for ISES/COSPAR
SPACEWARN Activities
All information in this publication was received between
1 February 2001 and 28 February 2001.
A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UTC).
USSPACECOM Catalog numbers are in parentheses.
COSPAR/WWAS USSPACECOM SPACECRAFT LAUNCH
INT.ID CAT. # NAME DATE (2000)
-------------------------------------------------------
2001-009A (26715) USA 157 27 Feb
2001-008A (26713) Progress-M 44 26 Feb
2001-007A (26701) Odin 20 Feb
2001-006B (26700) Destiny 07 Feb
2001-006A (26698) STS 98 07 Feb
2001-005B (26695) Skynet 4F 07 Feb
2001-005A (26694) Sircal 07 Feb
B. Text of Launch Announcements.
| 2001-009A | USA 157 is an American geosynchronous military communications spacecraft that was launched by a Titan 4/Centaur combination from Cape Canaveral at 21:20 UT. The 4.5 tonne spacecraft is the first in the Milstar 2 series which is capable of higher data rates and is more secure against disabling efforts. |
|---|---|
| 2001-008A | Progress-M 44 is a Russian, automatic cargo carrier that was launched by a Soyuz-U booster from Baikonur at 08:09 UT. It carried 2.5 tonnes of food, water, fuel, oxygen, and equipment to dock with the Zvezda module of the International Space Station (ISS) which has been hosting the first crew of astronauts (two Russian and one American) since early November 2000. In preparation for the docking, that crew repositioned the Soyuz TM-31 escape craft from its port on Zvezda to a port on the Zarya module. It docked at 09:47 UT on 28 February. Initial orbital parameters were period 88.64,apogee 243 km, perigee 193 km, and inclination 51.6 deg. |
| 2001-007A | Odin is a Swedish dual disciplinary (astrophysics and atmospheric science) spacecraft that was launched by a START 1 rocket from Svobodny cosmodrome in far-eastern Siberia at 08:48 UT. (START 1 is a modified Topol ICBM.) The 250 kg, 340 W spacecraft has a pointing accuracy of 15 arcsec and a data storage capacity of 100 MB. It carries a cryogenic radiometer to monitor three millimeter-bands at 118.25-119.25, 486.1-503.9, and 541.0-580.4 GHz, at a resolution of 0.1-1.0 MHz. It carries also a cryogenic optical spectrometer to cover three visible and infrared bands at 280-800 nm, and another infrared band at 1,270 nm. The target gases of astrophysical interest are carbon iodide (CI), water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and a few others. For atmospheric studies, the gases are chlorine monoxide, nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, nitrous oxide, nitric acid, and a few others. Both instruments were fed by a 1.1 meter Gregorian telescope. Initial orbital parameters were period 97.6 min, apogee/perigee 622 km, and inclination 97.83 deg. |
| 2001-006B | Destiny is an American module on the ISS that was carried by STS 98 and fitted robotically to one of the ports on the Unity module of the ISS on 10 February. The 8.4 meter long and 4.2 meter wide cylindrical structure of mass 15 tonnes will function as a science and technology module as well as a primary control module for the ISS. |
| 2001-006A | STS 98 is an American shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral at 23:13 UT. It carried a large module, Destiny, and a crew of five astronauts to deliver it to the International Space Station (ISS). It docked with the Unity module on 9 February, and delivered Destiny (2001-006B) to another port on Unity. After many hours of spacewalking, the astronauts secured the electrical connections and mechanical fittings. The crew also delivered over a tonne of food, fuel and equipment to the ISS. STS 98, with all five astronauts, landed at Edwards AFB in California on 20 February at 20:33 UT due to persistent wind problems at Cape Canaveral. Initial orbital parameters were period 92 min, apogee 378 km, perigee 365 km, and inclination 51.5 deg. |
| 2001-005B | Skynet 4F is a British geosynchronous military communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44L rocket from Kourou at 23:05 UT. The 1.5 tonne (with fuel) spacecraft carries a total of eight transponders in the SHF-, UHF-, and S-bands to provide secure communications after parking over either 1 deg-E or 6 deg-W. |
| 2001-005A | Sircal is an Italian geosynchronous military communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44L rocket from Kourou at 23:05 UT. The 1.25 tonne (dry mass), 3.3 kW, 3.4 m x 4.9 m, triaxially-stabilized spacecraft carries a total of nine transponders in the SHF-, UHF-, and EHF-bands to enable secure communications after parking over 16.2 deg-E longitude. [SHF: Superhigh Frequency. UHF: Ultrahigh Frequency. EHF: Extremely High Frequency. Band ranges are not available now.] |
C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation
- Spacecraft with essentially continuous radio beacons on frequencies
less than 150 MHz, or higher frequencies if especially suited for ionospheric
or geodetic studies. (NNSS denotes U.S. Navy Navigational
Satellite System. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with
information from the user community.)Note:
The full list appeared in SPX 545.
The list will not be repeated in future issues until significantly revised again. - Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational
purposes and geodetic studies. (“NNN” denotes no national name. SPACEWARN
would appreciate suggestions to update this list. An asterisk [*] denotes
changes in this issue.)High precision (<20 cm) GPS constellation tracking data obtained from
the network of about 80 dedicated global stations that are of interest to
geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided
by the International Association of Geodesy (IGS)FTP: igscb.jpl.nasa.gov [directory /igscb] WWW: http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/ E-mail: igscb@cobra.jpl.nasa.govThe standard format of the GPS situation appeared in SPX-518. It will not
be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is at
http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem
It provides many links to GPS related databases.The latest addition to the GPS fleet is Navstar 50 (2001-004A).
- Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS
constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates/additions from readers to this list.
Entries marked “*” are updates or additions to the list.)All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers
(nnnn) invoked by USSPACECOM have often differed from the numbers (NNNN)
associated in Russia; when different, the USSPACECOM COSMOS numbers are shown
in parentheses. The corresponding GLONASS numbers are Russian numbers, followed
by the numbers in parentheses that are sometimes attributed to them outside
Russia.The operating frequencies in MHz are computed from the channel number K.
Frequencies (MHz) = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K.The standard format of the GLONASS situation appeared in SPX-545. It
will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source at:
http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/english.html
maintained by the Coordinational
Scientific Information Center (CSIC),Russian Space Forces. - Visually bright objects.
A comprehensive list of visually bright
objects with their two-line orbital elements is available from USSPACECOM, via a
NASA URL, http://oig1.gsfc.nasa.gov/files/visible.tle. The list, however,
does not include visual magnitudes, but are expected to be brighter than
magnitude 5. - Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B)
only. No further information is available.Designations Common Name Decay Date (2000) 2000-019E (26710) R/B Proton (aux. mot.) 24 Feb 1985-091A (16112) MOLNIYA 3-26 22 Feb 2001-006A (26698) STS 98 Returned on 20 Feb 1989-048F (20094) R/B that launched RADUGA 1-1 20 Feb 1985-091D (16125) R/B that launched MOLNIYA 3-26 20 Feb 2000-073A (26615) PROGRESS-M1 4 08 Feb 2000-071B (26606) R/B Delta 2 08 Feb 1978-075A (10993) OPS 7310 08 Feb 1998-024C (25313) R/B Ariane 44P 01 Feb 2000-064A (26570) PROGRESS-M 43 29 Jan (The decayed 2000-064A had been misnamed as PROGRESS M1-4 in SPX-567.)
Note: Until about 1990, our Bulletins (or any other known to us)
did not carry the names of rockets that launched Soviet spacecraft. - Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information/data that
are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the
SPACEWARN Bulletin.) - Related NSSDC resources.
NSSDC/WDC for Satellite Information is an archival center for science
data from many spacecraft. Many space physics datasets are on-line for
electronic access through:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/For off-line data, please contact the Request Office, NSSDC, Code 633,
NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information
(request@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov).
Information on the current status of the instruments on board from the
investigators will be most welcomed. Precomputed trajectory files
and orbital parameters of many magnetospheric and heliospheric science-payload
spacecraft may be accessed via anonymous FTP from NSSDC.
(See About the SPACEWARN Bulletin
for access method; a file in the active directory named AAREADME.TXT,
outlines the contents.)Other files interest for Earth-centered spacecraft can be generated through the URL,
http://sscweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/Programs related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed
through the URL,
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/helios/heli.htmlMagnetospheric, Planetary, and Astronomical science data from many spacecraft
may be accessed through links from the URL:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/sc-query.html
