ad7i@houxp.UUCP (Paul Newland) (08/06/83)
qst de ad7i holmdel, new jersey, u.s.a. hr arrl bulletin nr 66 from arrl headquarters newington ct july 28, 1983 to all radio amateurs bt amsat attempted to fire the oscar 10 onboard kick motor for the final orbit adjustment at 0032 utc on july 26. the firing command was transmitted and received but the motor did not fire. amsat speculates that when the ariane 3rd stage collided with oscar 10 about 53 seconds after separation back on the june 16 launch day, helium pressurization plumbing was damaged. helium under pressure is used to operate the engine valves and to mix the hydrazine fuel oxidant. without pressure, the motor was unable to fire. therefore, amsat oscar 10 is in its final orbit. though not the orbit intended by amsat, oscar 10s present orbit is a very useful one that will provide long distance and long duration communication for many years. arrl congratulates amsat on its tremendous achievement and its professionalism in circumventing many obstacles in reaching this final orbit. we wish them many years of continued success as oscar 10 becomes operational. orbital parameters. inclination 25.87 degrees, eccentricity 0.60434, 2.06 orbits per day, 699.546 minutes per orbit, 35500 km apogee and 3951 km perigee. typical access time in north america is ten to eleven hours per day ar