wats@scicom.alphacdc.com (Bruce Watson) (12/03/88)
Atlantis and its payload, separated by about 12 arc-minutes, a km or so, passed over Denver at 00:23 hrs UT December 3 Friday evening. The two objects were of mag 0 and +2. They were also observed by Richard Keen and Gary Emerson at Mt. Thoridin, CO a few minutes earlier. Richard said that the two were gold and bluish. Gary took a photograph of the pair. The elements I am now using are: T=337.607639 delta mean motion=.00025 inclination=57 RAAN=189.02 ARGPER=0 E=0 Mean An=34.82 Mean motion=15.33
wats@scicom.alphacdc.com (Bruce Watson) (12/10/88)
In article <1184@scicom.alphacdc.com>, wats@scicom.alphacdc.com (Bruce Watson) writes: > > Atlantis and its payload, separated by about 12 arc-minutes, > a km or so, passed over Denver at 00:23 hrs UT December 3 Friday evening. > The two objects were of mag 0 and +2. They were also observed > by Richard Keen and Gary Emerson at Mt. Thoridin, CO a few minutes > earlier. Richard said that the two were gold and bluish. Gary > took a photograph of the pair. > After examining the orbit with the Goddard elements (see note 1030), I find that I first saw Atlantis and payload at about 00:19UT and lost it at about 00:23UT with the time of max altitude at about 00:20:30UT. I had WWV and my tape recorder with me, but forgot to rewind the tape. The running comentary with time in the background was lost. I hope the erroneous 15.33 (instead of a better 15.39) did not cause anyone to miss later observing opportunities. Gary submitted his photo to the Denver Post but I don't think they published it. He told me he sent it to Aviation Week&ST. We did not see Atlantis or payload again during the mission since the next days best opportunity occurred with the sun too high and later times the passage took place in the low southwest where the shuttle would be swamped by the light of the twilight arc and be backlit by the sun. But that first time was glorious.