Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 28-Mar-2011 Monday
8:43 PM - Name: Cosmos 1300 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-082-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to put the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite into orbit in 1981.
8:43 PM - Name: Cosmos 1703 - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1985-108-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1703, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite that was put into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket in 1985.
8:47 PM - Name: PSLV R/B - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2007-001-E
This is my 4th sighting of this Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from India which was used to put the Cartosat-2 Indian earth observation satellite (and 3 other satellites from Indian, Indonesia and Argentina) into orbit in 2007.
8:49 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This object was a yellow shooting star that was nearly horizontal in the sky going from west to northwest at around 45 degrees in the horizon.
8:49 PM - Name: Cosmos 1315 - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1981-103-A
This is my 2nd sighting of Kosmos 1315, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite that was put into orbit in 1981 using a Vostok-2M rocket.
8:51 PM - Name: Cosmos 405 - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1971-028-A
This is my 5th sighting of Kosmos 405, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite that was put into orbit using a Vostok-2M rocket in 1971.
8:51 PM - Name: Resurs 1-4 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 1998-043-G
This is my 26th (!!!) sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket. My sightings of "Ye Olde Brgith and Faithpul" have been sparse lately, only 4 sightings in the past four months, but I believe that sightings should be soon coming more frequently. I really am looking forward to my 50th sighting of this (or any) object.
8:57 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr (or CZ-4B DEB) - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 10th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket which was used to launch a couple of Shijian 6 satellites.
9:18 PM - Name: Resurs DK-1 - Magnitude: 2.3
Int'l Designator: 2006-021-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Resurs DK-1, a Russian commercial earth observation satellite which was put into orbit in 2006 using a Soyuz-U rocket.
9:19 PM - Name: Koronas-Foton Rocket (or SL-14 R/B) - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 2009-003-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to put the Russian solar research satellite, Koronas-Foton, into orbit in 2009.
9:20 PM - Name: ARGOS - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1999-008-A
This is my first sighting of the ARGOS satellite. ARGOS (Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite) is a satellite that was funded by the Department of Defense and contains 9 different sensors that were developed by 9 different researchers. The amount of stuff this satellite was researching is crazy. Everything from upper atmosphere readings to a couple different experimental propulsion systems. Read the wiki for the goods. ARGOS was put into orbit using a Delta II (Delta-7920-10 to be exact) in 1999.
9:20 PM - Name: Cosmos 1544 - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1984-027-A
This is my first sighting of Cosmos 1544, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite which was launched into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket in 1984.
9:22 PM - Name: Cosmos 2322 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.4
Int'l Designator: 1995-058-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which launched the Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite Kosmos 2322 in the year 1995.
9:22 PM - Name: Lacrosse 5 - Magnitude: 1.8
Int'l Designator: 2005-016-A
This is my 8th sighting of NRO reconnaissance satellite, Lacrosse 5, which was launched in 2005 using a Titan IV-B rocket.
9:30 PM - Name: Rubin 4/r - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 2003-042-B
This is my first sighting of German Rubin 4 satellite. Runbin 4 is actually still attached to the Kosmos-3M rocket that sent it up there. According to the astronautix site: "The orbital telematics experiment transmited information on the rocket’s acceleration, vibration load and position via e-mail using the Orbcomm satellite communications system. In this way, it will be possible to track the rocket in orbit reliably and without any data loss." Cool. Rubin 4 was launched in 2003.
9:32 PM - Name: Cosmos 1818 - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 1987-011-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Kosmos 1818, a Russian Plasma-A RORSAT satellite which, unlike the Tselina series, is a radar ocean reconnaissance satellite which looks for ships, submarines and the like.
9:39 PM - Name: NOSS 3-4 (A) - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 2007-027-A
9:39 PM - Name: NOSS 3-4 (C) - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 2007-027-C
This is my first sighting of the NOSS 3-4 pair of satellites. NOSS stands for Naval Ocean Surveillance System and it is what it sounds like. I also spotted the NOSS 3-4 rocket back on Oct 1st 2010 so this might be my first time where I've spotted both the NOSS satellites and the rocket which put them into orbit. Anyhoo... NOSS 3-4 A and C were launched into orbit using part B which was an Atlas V 401 rocket in 2007. Also of note, the fourth pair (and possibly next generation) of NOSS 3 satellite were launched on Apr 15th 2011. I don't believe I've spotted the new guys yet, so I'll have to keep my eyes open.
9:41 PM - Name: Lacrosse 4 - Magnitude: 2.7
Int'l Designator: 2000-047-A
This is my 4th sighting of Lacrosse 4. It wasn't until just now that I realized that I spotted it's brother earlier in the evening. I don't believe that this is my first time doing so. I believe there was one evening where I spotted 3 of the 4 Lacrosse satellites that are still in orbit (Lacrosse 1 was deorbitted a while back).
9:43 PM - Name: ADEOS II - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 5th sighting of the Japanese ADEOS II satellite. ADEOS 2 is short for 'Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2'. Yeah, it is what it sounds like. :-) They are watching us. And everyone else.
9:47 PM - Name: Cosmos 1697 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 1985-097-B
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1697, a Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite which was launched into orbit using a Zenit-2 rocket in 1985.
Monday, March 28, 2011
A day without the kids and a morning / night session on March 27th
I also woke up Sunday morning around 5am despite taking some Tylenol PM the previous evening. I couldn't get back to sleep and I remembered that one of the satellites I wanted to see was likely going to be out an about. After peeping through the blinds, I determined that it was clear enough to likely see some satellites. I checked my chart, put in my contacts, got suited up and went outside just in time to see the satellite go overhead. I didn't have a list, so I free-styled a few more satellites and then went back inside because it was friggin' cold. I went downstairs and started doing my entries. It was then that I realized that I had forgotten what day it was, so the satellite I saw was actually not what I thought it was... but instead a different satellite that just happened to have the same peak time and altitude and direction. I then noticed that the ISS was going to be REALLY BRIGHT and going overhead in about 10 minutes, so I went back upstairs and got it see it. It was really bright and heading over the house. As I was coming back in, lil N and the wife were just waking up, so I had lil N look out the window to see the ISS. It was a bit confusing to try to explain to her that the really bright moving star was as big as a football field and that 7 people were living inside of it. :P This morning session was very fruitful in first sightings which is always nice to have. Six of the eight satellites I spotted in the morning were new. Wow!
My parents came up on Sunday and allowed the Mrs and I to have a little bit of time together without the kids which we hadn't been able to do for a couple months. We were starting to get a little stir crazy I think, so it was a very welcomed visit. We got to run around to a few stores and buy a few things. We visited the Borders. The wife got a few books. I had a few picked out, but decided that I likely could get most of them cheaper on Amazon (and, after checking when I got back, the prices weren't that bad on a couple, but a few would be MUCH cheaper on the Amazon Marketplace). Then we went to Pei Wei and got some tasty food. The Dan Dan Noodles are the bomb yo! So it was very nice to get some alone time with the Mrs. When we got home, lil N decided that she wanted to stay overnight at Grandma's... so after a little bit of discussion we decided... why not. Granted, in the morning she has to come right back home because of some already planned school stuff, but hey... Grandma was coming right back anyways to watch lil A so it wasn't like she wasn't coming back up this way. After lil N was in the car and off on her way, we put lil A to bed. The sky was a bit hazy but I went out for about 45 minutes and saw a few more satellites. Oddly, I really wasn't in the mood to be sat-spotting but it's hard to pass up a clear evening when there are only 1 or 2 clear skies a week.
Here's the time-line for the morning / evening of:
Date: 27-Mar-2011 Sunday
5:35 AM - Name: Cosmos 2369 - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2000-006-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 2369, a Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite. It was launched into orbit in 2000 using a Zenit-2 rocket.
5:41 AM - Name: Resurs 1-3 Rocket - Magnitude: 1.6
Int'l Designator: 1994-074-B
This is my first sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket. This particultar rocket was used to launch two satellites. The main satellite was Resurs O1-3, a Russian earth resources satellite. A secondary payload was Safir-R1, a German communications experiment, though I believe it was permanently fixed to the as there is no int'l designator assigned to Safir-R1.
5:49 AM - Name: SAR Lupe 1 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 2006-060-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the first German reconnaissance satellite, SAR-Lupe 1 on December 19 2006. The SAR-Lupe program consists of five satellites and one ground station. The system is SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) based and can provide high-resolution (~1 meter) images day or night, regardless of the weather.
5:55 AM - Name: Cosmos 2221 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1992-080-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 2221 in the year 1992.
5:56 AM - Name: XM 5 Tnk aka BREEZE-M DEB - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2010-053-C
This is my second sighting of this Briz-M tank from a Proton-M rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch XM-5 from the XM Satellite Radio corporation.
5:59 AM - Name: Cosmos 1862 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1987-055-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1862 into orbit in the year 1987.
6:00 AM - Name: Cosmos 2084 - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1990-055-A
This is my second sighting of Kosmos 2084, a Russian Oko missile defense satellite. It was launched into service using a Molniya-M rocket. The Oko missile defense system was introduced in the 1972 with the launch of Cosmos 520. Oko satellites are still being up into orbit, most recently with Cosmos 2469 which launched September 30 2010.
6:28 AM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -3.2
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 15th sighting of the International Space Station. This was the third brightest sighting of the ISS which seemed to be THE brightest considering the other two brighter sightings occurred during the dusk hours when the sun had not yet set.
8:50 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr aka CZ-4B DEB - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 9th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket. This rocket was used to launch the Shijian 6E and 6F satellites.
9:01 PM - Name: Cosmos 405 - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1971-028-A
This is my 4th sighting of Kosmos 405, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite which was launched into orbit using a Vostok-2M rocket in the year 1971.
9:07 PM - Name: Koronas F Rocket - Magnitude: 2.3
Int'l Designator: 2001-032-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Russian Koronos-Foton (Coronas-Photon) satellite which contained 10 different instruments to study the sun throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Coronas stands for "Complex ORbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun".
9:09 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This was a yellow shooting start that was nearly horizontal, shooting from W to NW at about 45 degrees.
9:09 PM - Name: Cosmos 975 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1978-004-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 975 in the year 1978.
My parents came up on Sunday and allowed the Mrs and I to have a little bit of time together without the kids which we hadn't been able to do for a couple months. We were starting to get a little stir crazy I think, so it was a very welcomed visit. We got to run around to a few stores and buy a few things. We visited the Borders. The wife got a few books. I had a few picked out, but decided that I likely could get most of them cheaper on Amazon (and, after checking when I got back, the prices weren't that bad on a couple, but a few would be MUCH cheaper on the Amazon Marketplace). Then we went to Pei Wei and got some tasty food. The Dan Dan Noodles are the bomb yo! So it was very nice to get some alone time with the Mrs. When we got home, lil N decided that she wanted to stay overnight at Grandma's... so after a little bit of discussion we decided... why not. Granted, in the morning she has to come right back home because of some already planned school stuff, but hey... Grandma was coming right back anyways to watch lil A so it wasn't like she wasn't coming back up this way. After lil N was in the car and off on her way, we put lil A to bed. The sky was a bit hazy but I went out for about 45 minutes and saw a few more satellites. Oddly, I really wasn't in the mood to be sat-spotting but it's hard to pass up a clear evening when there are only 1 or 2 clear skies a week.
Here's the time-line for the morning / evening of:
Date: 27-Mar-2011 Sunday
5:35 AM - Name: Cosmos 2369 - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2000-006-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 2369, a Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite. It was launched into orbit in 2000 using a Zenit-2 rocket.
5:41 AM - Name: Resurs 1-3 Rocket - Magnitude: 1.6
Int'l Designator: 1994-074-B
This is my first sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket. This particultar rocket was used to launch two satellites. The main satellite was Resurs O1-3, a Russian earth resources satellite. A secondary payload was Safir-R1, a German communications experiment, though I believe it was permanently fixed to the as there is no int'l designator assigned to Safir-R1.
5:49 AM - Name: SAR Lupe 1 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 2006-060-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the first German reconnaissance satellite, SAR-Lupe 1 on December 19 2006. The SAR-Lupe program consists of five satellites and one ground station. The system is SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) based and can provide high-resolution (~1 meter) images day or night, regardless of the weather.
5:55 AM - Name: Cosmos 2221 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1992-080-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 2221 in the year 1992.
5:56 AM - Name: XM 5 Tnk aka BREEZE-M DEB - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2010-053-C
This is my second sighting of this Briz-M tank from a Proton-M rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch XM-5 from the XM Satellite Radio corporation.
5:59 AM - Name: Cosmos 1862 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1987-055-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1862 into orbit in the year 1987.
6:00 AM - Name: Cosmos 2084 - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1990-055-A
This is my second sighting of Kosmos 2084, a Russian Oko missile defense satellite. It was launched into service using a Molniya-M rocket. The Oko missile defense system was introduced in the 1972 with the launch of Cosmos 520. Oko satellites are still being up into orbit, most recently with Cosmos 2469 which launched September 30 2010.
6:28 AM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -3.2
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is my 15th sighting of the International Space Station. This was the third brightest sighting of the ISS which seemed to be THE brightest considering the other two brighter sightings occurred during the dusk hours when the sun had not yet set.
8:50 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr aka CZ-4B DEB - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 9th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket. This rocket was used to launch the Shijian 6E and 6F satellites.
9:01 PM - Name: Cosmos 405 - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1971-028-A
This is my 4th sighting of Kosmos 405, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite which was launched into orbit using a Vostok-2M rocket in the year 1971.
9:07 PM - Name: Koronas F Rocket - Magnitude: 2.3
Int'l Designator: 2001-032-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Russian Koronos-Foton (Coronas-Photon) satellite which contained 10 different instruments to study the sun throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Coronas stands for "Complex ORbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun".
9:09 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This was a yellow shooting start that was nearly horizontal, shooting from W to NW at about 45 degrees.
9:09 PM - Name: Cosmos 975 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1978-004-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 975 in the year 1978.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
March 24 2011 satellite spotting session
Got a fairly clear night on March 24 2011. I had my list all printed out and I kinda just rushed outside. The past few sessions had been in fairly mild weather where I didn't need a hat, gloves, wool socks, or even a sweatshirt. However, this even I _should_ have had those things... I didn't. Well... actually, I was smart enough to bring out my hat and gloves, but I was only wearing a t-shirt under my coat and had on super thin cotton socks. After this nearly 2 hour session, my feet and my butt was frozen.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 24-Mar-2011 Thursday
8:27 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 aka Meteor PRIRODA - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-A
This was my 3rd sighting of this Russian Meteor-Priroda meteorological satellite, Meteor 1-31. Meteor 1-31 was put into orbit using a Vostok-2M rocket. I don't know much about this particular model of Meteor satellite, other than the Meteor-Priroda model used electrically-powered spacecraft propulsion. Usually people talk about ion / plasma propulsion drives, however the Meteor-Priroda used an electrothermal drive which involves magnets creating heat for the propellant or something. Read the wiki if you want to know more.
8:28 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr aka CZ-4B DEB - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 8th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket. This rocket was used to launch the Chinese Shijian 6E and 6F space environment (and likely ELINT) satellites.
8:32 PM - Name: Cosmos 1674 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1985-069-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, Kosmos 1674.
8:45 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-A
This is my second sighting of Kosmos 1441, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was launched into orbit in 1983 using a Vostok-2M rocket. I last observed this satellite on October 8th 2010.
8:50 PM - Name: Cosmos 1263 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1981-033-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to put the Russian Taifun-1 radar calibration sphere Kosmos 1263 in the year 1981.
8:52 PM - Name: Cosmos 220 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1968-040-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to launch the Russian Tsiklon satellite navigation satellite Kosmos 220 in the year 1968. Tsiklon was the first Soviet satellite navigation system. Kosmos 220 was the second Tsiklon satellite to be launched into orbit.
8:57 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 13th sighting of Helios 1B, the French photo-recon satellite.
9:00 PM - Name: Cosmos 1674 - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1985-069-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Kosmos 1674, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite.
9:00 PM - Name: Cosmos 1733 - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 1986-018-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1733, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket in 1986.
9:01 PM - Name: Cartosat 2 Rocket aka PSLV R/B
Magnitude: 4.0 - Int'l Designator: 2007-001-E
This is my 3rd sighting of this Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. This particular vehicle launched 4 satellites into orbit.
9:06 PM - Name: Cosmos 1605 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.1
Int'l Designator: 1984-109-B
This is my first sighting of Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to launch the Russian Parus communication and navigation satellite Kosmos 1605 in the year 1984.
9:07 PM - Name: Cosmos 1354 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1982-037-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communication satellite Kosmos 1354 in the year 1982.
9:11 PM - Name: Cosmos 1300 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1981-082-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1300 into orbit in 1981.
9:24 PM - Name: Lacrosse 4 Rocket - Magnitude: 1.7
Int'l Designator: 2000-047-B
This is my second sighting of this Titan IV-B rocket which was used to launch the US reconnaissance satellite Lacrosse 4.
9:33 PM - Name: Cosmos 405 - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1971-028-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Kosmos 405, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was launched into orbit in 1971 using a Vostok-2M rocket.
9:43 PM - Name: Meteor 3M Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 2001-056-F
This is my sixth sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch five satellite, including the Russian Meteor 3M-1 meteorological satellite.
9:46 PM - Name: Okean 1-7 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1994-066-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put the Russian Okean O1-7 oceanography satellite into orbit in 1994.
9:44 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 4th sighting ADEOS II, the Japanese Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2.
10:01 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket aka CZ-2C R/B - Magnitude: 2.4
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Long March 2C rocket. It was used to launch the Chinese Shijian 11-1 space experiment satellite in 2009.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 24-Mar-2011 Thursday
8:27 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 aka Meteor PRIRODA - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-A
This was my 3rd sighting of this Russian Meteor-Priroda meteorological satellite, Meteor 1-31. Meteor 1-31 was put into orbit using a Vostok-2M rocket. I don't know much about this particular model of Meteor satellite, other than the Meteor-Priroda model used electrically-powered spacecraft propulsion. Usually people talk about ion / plasma propulsion drives, however the Meteor-Priroda used an electrothermal drive which involves magnets creating heat for the propellant or something. Read the wiki if you want to know more.
8:28 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr aka CZ-4B DEB - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 8th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket. This rocket was used to launch the Chinese Shijian 6E and 6F space environment (and likely ELINT) satellites.
8:32 PM - Name: Cosmos 1674 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1985-069-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, Kosmos 1674.
8:45 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-A
This is my second sighting of Kosmos 1441, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was launched into orbit in 1983 using a Vostok-2M rocket. I last observed this satellite on October 8th 2010.
8:50 PM - Name: Cosmos 1263 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1981-033-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to put the Russian Taifun-1 radar calibration sphere Kosmos 1263 in the year 1981.
8:52 PM - Name: Cosmos 220 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1968-040-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to launch the Russian Tsiklon satellite navigation satellite Kosmos 220 in the year 1968. Tsiklon was the first Soviet satellite navigation system. Kosmos 220 was the second Tsiklon satellite to be launched into orbit.
8:57 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 13th sighting of Helios 1B, the French photo-recon satellite.
9:00 PM - Name: Cosmos 1674 - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1985-069-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Kosmos 1674, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite.
9:00 PM - Name: Cosmos 1733 - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 1986-018-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 1733, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was put into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket in 1986.
9:01 PM - Name: Cartosat 2 Rocket aka PSLV R/B
Magnitude: 4.0 - Int'l Designator: 2007-001-E
This is my 3rd sighting of this Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. This particular vehicle launched 4 satellites into orbit.
9:06 PM - Name: Cosmos 1605 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.1
Int'l Designator: 1984-109-B
This is my first sighting of Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to launch the Russian Parus communication and navigation satellite Kosmos 1605 in the year 1984.
9:07 PM - Name: Cosmos 1354 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1982-037-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket. It was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communication satellite Kosmos 1354 in the year 1982.
9:11 PM - Name: Cosmos 1300 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1981-082-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1300 into orbit in 1981.
9:24 PM - Name: Lacrosse 4 Rocket - Magnitude: 1.7
Int'l Designator: 2000-047-B
This is my second sighting of this Titan IV-B rocket which was used to launch the US reconnaissance satellite Lacrosse 4.
9:33 PM - Name: Cosmos 405 - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1971-028-A
This is my 3rd sighting of Kosmos 405, a Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It was launched into orbit in 1971 using a Vostok-2M rocket.
9:43 PM - Name: Meteor 3M Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 2001-056-F
This is my sixth sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch five satellite, including the Russian Meteor 3M-1 meteorological satellite.
9:46 PM - Name: Okean 1-7 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1994-066-B
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket. It was used to put the Russian Okean O1-7 oceanography satellite into orbit in 1994.
9:44 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 4th sighting ADEOS II, the Japanese Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2.
10:01 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket aka CZ-2C R/B - Magnitude: 2.4
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Long March 2C rocket. It was used to launch the Chinese Shijian 11-1 space experiment satellite in 2009.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Bad Darrin
After my interview was done... I stopped in at he Borders that is going out of business on Sawmill. Most stuff was at least 40% off... some has high as 75% (if you like holiday CDs). Of course, I meandered over to the DVD section... and of course they had some of the 50 Movie Packs. So, at 40% + 10% off I picked up a couple more of them. Legends of Horror and Western Legends. Bad Darrin. Some of the movies are even repeats from other sets I already have. I think there are about 15 from the Legends of Horror collection that I have on other sets. I'm not sure on the Western Legends one, though I'm guessing it's about the same number. Bad Darrin.
I also picked up the Indigo Girls 'Rarities' CD for $5. I don't feel bad about that particular purchase.
I blame Dan at work. He was going to take me out to lunch, but of course he didn't tell me that until he emailed me at work... where I was not. Had I known free food awaited me, I would have skipped Borders and eaten lunch. Instead, I bought more stupid-ass movies and picked up sushi from Kroger. I blame Dan.
I also picked up the Indigo Girls 'Rarities' CD for $5. I don't feel bad about that particular purchase.
I blame Dan at work. He was going to take me out to lunch, but of course he didn't tell me that until he emailed me at work... where I was not. Had I known free food awaited me, I would have skipped Borders and eaten lunch. Instead, I bought more stupid-ass movies and picked up sushi from Kroger. I blame Dan.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
a few more sessions (Mar 16,17,19 2011)
I managed to get a few more session outside. It's been very difficult lately due to the sky being very hazy and the moon coming up in the east during the peak sighting hours. One night I only managed to accidentally see one satellite flare and that was it. But, still, a few is better than none. Enjoy (or not).
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 16-Mar-2011 Wednesday
8:28 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 14th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31. I've been seeing this quite a bit recently, spotting it 11 times in the last month.
8:31 PM - Name: Aureole 2 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 1973-107-B
This si my 3rd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Aureole 2 satellite in 1973. Aureole 2 (or Oreol 2) was used to study the magnetosphere of the earth.
8:31 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 4th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, Kosmos 1441.
8:52 PM - Name: Cosmos 1437 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1983-003-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, Kosmos 1437.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 17-Mar-2011 Thursday
8:13 PM - Name: Iridium 73 tum - Magnitude: 7.0
Int'l Designator: 1998-032-C
This is my first sighting of the tumbling Iridium 37 satellite. This was a really bad evening to be trying to spot satellites. The sky was VERY hazy and the moon was coming up and pretty much everything was working against me. I was trying to spot a satellite that was going to be pretty much straight up in the sky when I saw a flare out of the corner of my eye. After checking my websites, it appears that I saw the flare from this tumbling Iridium satellite. I didn't see anything else this evening which tells you how bad it was. I probably gave up fairly soon.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 19-Mar-2011 Saturday
8:28 PM - Name: NOSS 3-1 (C) - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-040-C
8:28 PM - Name: NOSS 3-1 (A) - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-040-A
This is my first sighting for either of these NOSS 3-1 satellites. NOSS (short for Naval Ocean Surveillance System) satellites are used for signal and electronic intelligence, mainly for spying on transmissions from submarines and other military water crafts. Sets of satellites are sent up in 2s or 3s and use the data to triangulate where the signal is coming from. Earlier NOSS systems used three, but with the introduction of the NOSS 3 system, only two satellites were used. This pair was launched into orbit using an Atlas IIAS rocket in 2001.
8:35 PM - Name: TacSat 3 - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 2009-028-A
This is my 5th sighting of TacSat-3, a US recon satellite which launched in 2009 and, among other technologies, uses the Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer (ARTEMIS) hyperspectral imager.
8:42 PM - Name: Lacrosse 3 - Magnitude: 2.2
Int'l Designator: 1997-064-A
This is my 4th sighting of Lacrosse 3, a US recon satellite.
8:43 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 12th sighting of this French photo-reconnaissance satellite. It was sent up in 1999 but the power supply failed in 2004 so it has been left to decay (which is obviously has not done yet). I tried to find an estimated date of decay, but failed to find any such calculations.
8:49 PM - Name: Cosmos 1340 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1982-013-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It's been quite a while since my last sighting on Oct 8 2010. Eventually, I'll set up a database so I can run reports to find the longest / shortest time between sightings, greatest number of sightings and that kinda thing.
8:59 PM - Name: Iridium 4 Dl Rocket - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1997-020-F
This is my 5th sighting of this Delta 7920 (Delta II) rocket which was used to launch the first set of five Iridium satellites (Iridium 4,5,6,7,8) into orbit.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 16-Mar-2011 Wednesday
8:28 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 14th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31. I've been seeing this quite a bit recently, spotting it 11 times in the last month.
8:31 PM - Name: Aureole 2 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 1973-107-B
This si my 3rd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Aureole 2 satellite in 1973. Aureole 2 (or Oreol 2) was used to study the magnetosphere of the earth.
8:31 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 4th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, Kosmos 1441.
8:52 PM - Name: Cosmos 1437 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1983-003-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite, Kosmos 1437.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 17-Mar-2011 Thursday
8:13 PM - Name: Iridium 73 tum - Magnitude: 7.0
Int'l Designator: 1998-032-C
This is my first sighting of the tumbling Iridium 37 satellite. This was a really bad evening to be trying to spot satellites. The sky was VERY hazy and the moon was coming up and pretty much everything was working against me. I was trying to spot a satellite that was going to be pretty much straight up in the sky when I saw a flare out of the corner of my eye. After checking my websites, it appears that I saw the flare from this tumbling Iridium satellite. I didn't see anything else this evening which tells you how bad it was. I probably gave up fairly soon.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 19-Mar-2011 Saturday
8:28 PM - Name: NOSS 3-1 (C) - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-040-C
8:28 PM - Name: NOSS 3-1 (A) - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-040-A
This is my first sighting for either of these NOSS 3-1 satellites. NOSS (short for Naval Ocean Surveillance System) satellites are used for signal and electronic intelligence, mainly for spying on transmissions from submarines and other military water crafts. Sets of satellites are sent up in 2s or 3s and use the data to triangulate where the signal is coming from. Earlier NOSS systems used three, but with the introduction of the NOSS 3 system, only two satellites were used. This pair was launched into orbit using an Atlas IIAS rocket in 2001.
8:35 PM - Name: TacSat 3 - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 2009-028-A
This is my 5th sighting of TacSat-3, a US recon satellite which launched in 2009 and, among other technologies, uses the Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer (ARTEMIS) hyperspectral imager.
8:42 PM - Name: Lacrosse 3 - Magnitude: 2.2
Int'l Designator: 1997-064-A
This is my 4th sighting of Lacrosse 3, a US recon satellite.
8:43 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 12th sighting of this French photo-reconnaissance satellite. It was sent up in 1999 but the power supply failed in 2004 so it has been left to decay (which is obviously has not done yet). I tried to find an estimated date of decay, but failed to find any such calculations.
8:49 PM - Name: Cosmos 1340 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1982-013-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite. It's been quite a while since my last sighting on Oct 8 2010. Eventually, I'll set up a database so I can run reports to find the longest / shortest time between sightings, greatest number of sightings and that kinda thing.
8:59 PM - Name: Iridium 4 Dl Rocket - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1997-020-F
This is my 5th sighting of this Delta 7920 (Delta II) rocket which was used to launch the first set of five Iridium satellites (Iridium 4,5,6,7,8) into orbit.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
some stuff and #500 (yay!)
I had a pretty decent weekend.
On Saturday, I got a chance to walk outside with lil N to park and back using the trail behind the house. There is a little 'waterfall' farther down the trail that I did not know existed. I always assumed that the trail connected to the park down the street, but just never ventured that far down the trail to find out.
On Sunday, the lot of us went to the zoo where we saw the baby gorilla and the baby elephant, but we didn't get to see the 'baby' lions.
I had four satellite sessions in the past week. I reached a major milestone: I got to see object number 500! Took me 6 months and 15 days to achieve this.
Last Monday was cloudy as all get out, so I only got to see one. Other nights the clouds started rolling in in the evening. On Sunday, the clouds were hovering in the west for must of the evening. Thankfully it was a rather calm night. For the last four sessions I also had to deal with the moon being high and BRIGHT in the sky, but I still managed by blocking it with my hand when things were in the 60 - 90 degree range.
BTW... if you're curious what I see at night, this is a pretty good estimation. I still have yet to have a session with my buds Todd, Tom and Kevin. Maybe I'll get the chance last this spring to show my friends what a goober I am. :P Anywayzzzz, this example video shows a pair of NOSS 3 satellites passing overhead. My satellite log is below the video:
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 7-Mar-2011 Monday
7:34 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 10th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 11-Mar-2011 Friday
7:31 PM - Name: Cosmos 2369 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.5
Int'l Designator: 2000-006-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite Kosmos 2369 in 2000.
7:31 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 11th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
7:37 PM - Name: Cosmos 2058 - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1990-010-A
This is my 1st sighting of Cosmos 2058, a Russian Tselina-R ELINT satellite. Kosmos 2058 was launched into orbit in 1990 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
7:45 PM - Name: NOSS 3-2 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.7
Int'l Designator: 2003-054-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Atlas IIAS Centaur upper stage. This rocket was used to launch a pair of NOSS 3 satellites (in particular, the pair known as NOSS 3-2... which is the pair featured in the video above).
7:52 PM - Name: Spot 1 ARk DbZ -or- deb Ariane - Magnitude: 4.5
Int'l Designator: 1986-019-Z
This is my 1st sighting of this piece of debris from an Ariane rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Spot 1 and Viking (Sweden) satellites. This Ariane rocket in particular exploded into 489 cataloged objects on November 13, 1986, 8 months after launch. It is not sure what caused this explosion, though typically this is caused by either an exploding battery or residual fuel left in the rocket. As for the satellites it deployed, the Spot 1 satellite is a high-resolution, optical earth imaging satellite. It appears to be used for scientific, not military use. Viking was Sweden's first satellite and was designed to explore plasma processes in the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.
7:53 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1441 in 1983.
7:57 PM - Name: Cosmos 1703 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1985-108-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1703 in 1985.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 12-Mar-2011 Saturday
7:30 PM - Name: COS B Dl Rocket - Magnitude: 2.7
Int'l Designator: 1975-072-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Delta 2913 rocket body. This rocket was used to put the European COS B satellite in orbit. It was the first satellite for the European Space Research Organization, was launched by NASA on their behalf, and went on to study gamma ray sources as well as studying the infamous Cygnus X3 pulsar. Here is a pic of the satellite.
7:30 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 12th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
7:34 PM - Name: Cosmos 407 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.4
Int'l Designator: 1971-035-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite Kosmos 407 in 1975.
7:36 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 6th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket which launched the Chinese satellites Shijian 6E and 6F.
7:42 PM - Name: Meteor 3M Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-056-F
This is my 5th sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 3M-1, as well as four other satellites. The other satellites were Compass (Russia - Complex Orbital Magneto-Plasma Autonomous Small Satellite), Badr B (Pakistan - meteorological), Maroc-Tubsat (Morocco, Germany - Earth remote sensing and vegetation detection) and Reflector (USA - Retro-reflector Ensemble For Laser Experiments, Calibration, Testing & Optical Research).
7:42 PM - Name: Cosmos 2208 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1992-053-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite Kosmos 2208 in 1992.
7:45 PM - Name: Cosmos 1782 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 1986-074-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite in 1986.
7:45 PM - Name: Shijian 6-3B -or- SJ-6F - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-B
This is my 6th sighting of the Chinese Shijian 6F satellite. This satellite was launched into orbit (along with its brother SJ-6E) using a Long March 2B rocket and according to the Chinese government is studying the environment of space (though it is rumored that it also contains ELINT technology tests as well).
7:48 PM - Name: Cosmos 1908 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1988-001-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1908 in 1988.
7:49 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1441 in 1983.
7:58 PM - Name: TacSat 3 - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2009-028-A
This is my 3rd sighting of TacSat 3, a type U.S. recon satellite (one of MANY other types of US recon sats) which had three sensors, the main one being the Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer (ARTEMIS) hyperspectral imager. TacSat-3 was put into orbit using a Minotaur I rocket which is a modified Minuteman II ICBM.
8:02 PM - Name: Cosmos 676 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1974-071-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M communications satellite Kosmos 676 in 1974.
8:03 PM - Name: 99025DRG -or- deb FY-1C - Magnitude: 6.2
Int'l Designator: 1999-025-DRG
This is my 1st sighting of this piece of debris from the Chinese Fengyun-1C (FY-1C) meteorological satellite. Where did this piece of debris come from? Well, it seems that not so long ago in 2007 the Chinese government decided that they wanted to try out some anti-satellite technology. So, the ended up obliterating a weather satellite in high orbit. The test is the largest recorded creation of space debris in history with at least 2,300 pieces of trackable size (golf ball size and larger). Unlike the time when the US obliterated a failed spy satellite which was in low orbit and all debris decayed in a few months, FY-1C was in a high and very stable orbit... which means that this crap will be up there for a very very very very long time. According to a NASA report, debris that is 800km above the earth (FY-1C was at an altitude of 865 kilometers (537 mi)) will take decades to return back to earth. At 1000km, it can take a century or more. So, by my guesstimate, this crap will be circling probably until 2075. yay.
8:08 PM - Name: Cosmos 2263 - Magnitude: 4.2
Int'l Designator: 1993-059-A
This is my 1st sighting of Kosmos 2263, a Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite that was put into orbit in 1993 using a Zenit-2 rocket.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 14-Mar-2011 Monday
8:29 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 11th sighting of the French photo-recon satellite Helios 1B.
8:29 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 13th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
8:37 PM - Name: NOSS 3-3 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 2005-004-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Atlas IIIB rocket which was used to launch the NOSS 3-3 pair of satellites (NOSS-3 3A, NOSS-3 3B).
8:37 PM - Name: JB-3 - Magnitude: 4.5
Int'l Designator: 2004-044-A
This is my 2nd (though, possibly first since the first sighting sin Sep 2010 was questionable) of this Ziyuan-2 (Chinese for Resource 2) satellite. It's also known as JianBing-3 3. The Chinese government lists this as a civilian earth observation satellite, however some speculate that this is part of China's first military high resolution imaging satellite system.
8:40 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1441 in 1983.
8:42 PM - Name: UARS - Magnitude: 0.4
Int'l Designator: 1991-063-B
This is NUMBER 500!!! This is my 2nd sighting of UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite). I'm amazed, honestly, that I've made it this far this quick. Five hundred objects in 6 months seems fast to me. That's 83 objects a month.
8:51 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 7th sighting of this piece of Long March 4B debris. I have yet to figure out what 'ptr' is about. Obviously CalSky has it as being part of the SJ6-3A but Heavens-Above has it as being CZ-4B debris. Anyways, I don't know if I'll ever know what the heck this thing is.
8:54 PM - Name: Cosmos 1437 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1983-003-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1437 in 1983.
8:59 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 3rd sighting of ADEOS II (Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2), a Japanese earth observation satellite.
9:02 PM - Name: Cosmos 407 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1971-035-B
This is 2nd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite Kosmos 407 in 1975.
9:04 PM - Name: Iridium 4 Dl Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1997-020-F
This is my 4th sighting of this Delta II rocket (a Delta-7920-10C to be exact) which was used to launch the first set of Iridium satellites, Iridium 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; Iridium 01, 02 and 03 were not put into orbit.
9:06 PM - Name: TacSat 3 - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 2009-028-A
This is my 4th sighting of TacSat-3, a U.S. recon satellite featuring ARTEMIS.
9:11 PM - Name: Okean 1-7 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1994-066-A
This is my 1st sighting of Okean 1-7, a Russian oceanography satellite. It was launched into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
9:19 PM - Name: Cosmos 2151 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1991-042-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-R ELINT satellite Kosmos 2151 in 1991.
More (not so) interesting numbers:
Number of objects seen per month (running total):
Aug 2010 - 1 (1)
Sep 2010 - 25 (26)
Oct 2010 - 166 (192)
Nov 2010 - 89 (281)
Dec 2010 - 26 (307)
Jan 2011 - 32 (339)
Feb 2011 - 109 (448)
Mar 2011 (through Mar 14th) - 59 (507)
On Saturday, I got a chance to walk outside with lil N to park and back using the trail behind the house. There is a little 'waterfall' farther down the trail that I did not know existed. I always assumed that the trail connected to the park down the street, but just never ventured that far down the trail to find out.
On Sunday, the lot of us went to the zoo where we saw the baby gorilla and the baby elephant, but we didn't get to see the 'baby' lions.
I had four satellite sessions in the past week. I reached a major milestone: I got to see object number 500! Took me 6 months and 15 days to achieve this.
Last Monday was cloudy as all get out, so I only got to see one. Other nights the clouds started rolling in in the evening. On Sunday, the clouds were hovering in the west for must of the evening. Thankfully it was a rather calm night. For the last four sessions I also had to deal with the moon being high and BRIGHT in the sky, but I still managed by blocking it with my hand when things were in the 60 - 90 degree range.
BTW... if you're curious what I see at night, this is a pretty good estimation. I still have yet to have a session with my buds Todd, Tom and Kevin. Maybe I'll get the chance last this spring to show my friends what a goober I am. :P Anywayzzzz, this example video shows a pair of NOSS 3 satellites passing overhead. My satellite log is below the video:
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 7-Mar-2011 Monday
7:34 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 10th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 11-Mar-2011 Friday
7:31 PM - Name: Cosmos 2369 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.5
Int'l Designator: 2000-006-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite Kosmos 2369 in 2000.
7:31 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 11th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
7:37 PM - Name: Cosmos 2058 - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1990-010-A
This is my 1st sighting of Cosmos 2058, a Russian Tselina-R ELINT satellite. Kosmos 2058 was launched into orbit in 1990 using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
7:45 PM - Name: NOSS 3-2 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.7
Int'l Designator: 2003-054-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Atlas IIAS Centaur upper stage. This rocket was used to launch a pair of NOSS 3 satellites (in particular, the pair known as NOSS 3-2... which is the pair featured in the video above).
7:52 PM - Name: Spot 1 ARk DbZ -or- deb Ariane - Magnitude: 4.5
Int'l Designator: 1986-019-Z
This is my 1st sighting of this piece of debris from an Ariane rocket. This particular rocket was used to launch the Spot 1 and Viking (Sweden) satellites. This Ariane rocket in particular exploded into 489 cataloged objects on November 13, 1986, 8 months after launch. It is not sure what caused this explosion, though typically this is caused by either an exploding battery or residual fuel left in the rocket. As for the satellites it deployed, the Spot 1 satellite is a high-resolution, optical earth imaging satellite. It appears to be used for scientific, not military use. Viking was Sweden's first satellite and was designed to explore plasma processes in the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.
7:53 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1441 in 1983.
7:57 PM - Name: Cosmos 1703 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1985-108-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1703 in 1985.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 12-Mar-2011 Saturday
7:30 PM - Name: COS B Dl Rocket - Magnitude: 2.7
Int'l Designator: 1975-072-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Delta 2913 rocket body. This rocket was used to put the European COS B satellite in orbit. It was the first satellite for the European Space Research Organization, was launched by NASA on their behalf, and went on to study gamma ray sources as well as studying the infamous Cygnus X3 pulsar. Here is a pic of the satellite.
7:30 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 12th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
7:34 PM - Name: Cosmos 407 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.4
Int'l Designator: 1971-035-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite Kosmos 407 in 1975.
7:36 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 6th sighting of this piece of debris from a Long March 4B rocket which launched the Chinese satellites Shijian 6E and 6F.
7:42 PM - Name: Meteor 3M Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-056-F
This is my 5th sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which was used to launch the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 3M-1, as well as four other satellites. The other satellites were Compass (Russia - Complex Orbital Magneto-Plasma Autonomous Small Satellite), Badr B (Pakistan - meteorological), Maroc-Tubsat (Morocco, Germany - Earth remote sensing and vegetation detection) and Reflector (USA - Retro-reflector Ensemble For Laser Experiments, Calibration, Testing & Optical Research).
7:42 PM - Name: Cosmos 2208 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1992-053-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite Kosmos 2208 in 1992.
7:45 PM - Name: Cosmos 1782 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.8
Int'l Designator: 1986-074-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite in 1986.
7:45 PM - Name: Shijian 6-3B -or- SJ-6F - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-B
This is my 6th sighting of the Chinese Shijian 6F satellite. This satellite was launched into orbit (along with its brother SJ-6E) using a Long March 2B rocket and according to the Chinese government is studying the environment of space (though it is rumored that it also contains ELINT technology tests as well).
7:48 PM - Name: Cosmos 1908 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1988-001-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1908 in 1988.
7:49 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.7
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1441 in 1983.
7:58 PM - Name: TacSat 3 - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2009-028-A
This is my 3rd sighting of TacSat 3, a type U.S. recon satellite (one of MANY other types of US recon sats) which had three sensors, the main one being the Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer (ARTEMIS) hyperspectral imager. TacSat-3 was put into orbit using a Minotaur I rocket which is a modified Minuteman II ICBM.
8:02 PM - Name: Cosmos 676 Rocket - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 1974-071-B
This is my 2nd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M communications satellite Kosmos 676 in 1974.
8:03 PM - Name: 99025DRG -or- deb FY-1C - Magnitude: 6.2
Int'l Designator: 1999-025-DRG
This is my 1st sighting of this piece of debris from the Chinese Fengyun-1C (FY-1C) meteorological satellite. Where did this piece of debris come from? Well, it seems that not so long ago in 2007 the Chinese government decided that they wanted to try out some anti-satellite technology. So, the ended up obliterating a weather satellite in high orbit. The test is the largest recorded creation of space debris in history with at least 2,300 pieces of trackable size (golf ball size and larger). Unlike the time when the US obliterated a failed spy satellite which was in low orbit and all debris decayed in a few months, FY-1C was in a high and very stable orbit... which means that this crap will be up there for a very very very very long time. According to a NASA report, debris that is 800km above the earth (FY-1C was at an altitude of 865 kilometers (537 mi)) will take decades to return back to earth. At 1000km, it can take a century or more. So, by my guesstimate, this crap will be circling probably until 2075. yay.
8:08 PM - Name: Cosmos 2263 - Magnitude: 4.2
Int'l Designator: 1993-059-A
This is my 1st sighting of Kosmos 2263, a Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite that was put into orbit in 1993 using a Zenit-2 rocket.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 14-Mar-2011 Monday
8:29 PM - Name: Helios 1B - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1999-064-A
This is my 11th sighting of the French photo-recon satellite Helios 1B.
8:29 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 13th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
8:37 PM - Name: NOSS 3-3 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 2005-004-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Atlas IIIB rocket which was used to launch the NOSS 3-3 pair of satellites (NOSS-3 3A, NOSS-3 3B).
8:37 PM - Name: JB-3 - Magnitude: 4.5
Int'l Designator: 2004-044-A
This is my 2nd (though, possibly first since the first sighting sin Sep 2010 was questionable) of this Ziyuan-2 (Chinese for Resource 2) satellite. It's also known as JianBing-3 3. The Chinese government lists this as a civilian earth observation satellite, however some speculate that this is part of China's first military high resolution imaging satellite system.
8:40 PM - Name: Cosmos 1441 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1983-010-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1441 in 1983.
8:42 PM - Name: UARS - Magnitude: 0.4
Int'l Designator: 1991-063-B
This is NUMBER 500!!! This is my 2nd sighting of UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite). I'm amazed, honestly, that I've made it this far this quick. Five hundred objects in 6 months seems fast to me. That's 83 objects a month.
8:51 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 7th sighting of this piece of Long March 4B debris. I have yet to figure out what 'ptr' is about. Obviously CalSky has it as being part of the SJ6-3A but Heavens-Above has it as being CZ-4B debris. Anyways, I don't know if I'll ever know what the heck this thing is.
8:54 PM - Name: Cosmos 1437 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1983-003-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which launched the Russian Tselina-D ELINT satellite Kosmos 1437 in 1983.
8:59 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 3rd sighting of ADEOS II (Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2), a Japanese earth observation satellite.
9:02 PM - Name: Cosmos 407 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1971-035-B
This is 2nd sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which was used to launch the Russian Strela-2M military communications satellite Kosmos 407 in 1975.
9:04 PM - Name: Iridium 4 Dl Rocket - Magnitude: 3.3
Int'l Designator: 1997-020-F
This is my 4th sighting of this Delta II rocket (a Delta-7920-10C to be exact) which was used to launch the first set of Iridium satellites, Iridium 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; Iridium 01, 02 and 03 were not put into orbit.
9:06 PM - Name: TacSat 3 - Magnitude: 3.2
Int'l Designator: 2009-028-A
This is my 4th sighting of TacSat-3, a U.S. recon satellite featuring ARTEMIS.
9:11 PM - Name: Okean 1-7 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 1994-066-A
This is my 1st sighting of Okean 1-7, a Russian oceanography satellite. It was launched into orbit using a Tsyklon-3 rocket.
9:19 PM - Name: Cosmos 2151 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 1991-042-B
This is my 1st sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch the Russian Tselina-R ELINT satellite Kosmos 2151 in 1991.
More (not so) interesting numbers:
Number of objects seen per month (running total):
Aug 2010 - 1 (1)
Sep 2010 - 25 (26)
Oct 2010 - 166 (192)
Nov 2010 - 89 (281)
Dec 2010 - 26 (307)
Jan 2011 - 32 (339)
Feb 2011 - 109 (448)
Mar 2011 (through Mar 14th) - 59 (507)
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Tues and Weds (Mar 2,3 2011) sessions
Got a couple of clear nights on Tues and Weds. Tues I was only able to sneak out for a few minutes to catch a few, but I got a good session in on Weds. Most importantly, I finally was able to snag a view of NanoSail-D2!!! I've been wanting to nab a view of this one since it deployed. It's going to de-orbit in a month or so and the calculations make it look like this week might be the only good opportunity to see it in the evening sky. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to see it since it was passing overhead around 7pm, just past sunset. But as luck would have it, I was in the right place at the right time with a clear and dark enough sky to spot it. Usually when I spot an object, I watch it briefly before checking it off and moving on to the next one. For the NanoSail-D2, I watched it as long as I could see it. Yay!
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 1-Mar-2011 Tuesday
8:59 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket aka CZ-2C R/B - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my first sighting of this Long March 2C III rocket. It was used to put the first (and currently only) Shijian 11 scientific and experimental satellite into orbit in 2009.
9:12 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This was a white shooting star falling down into the NE sky.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 2-Mar-2011 Wednesday
7:00 PM - Name: NanoSail-D2 - Magnitude: 1.9
Int'l Designator: 2010-062-L
This is my first sighting of the NanoSail-D2 solar sail. This solar sail was launched into orbit on November 20 2010 using a Minotaur IV rocket, and enclosed inside of FASTSAT. On Dec 6 2010, the command to release NanoSail-D2 from FASTSAT was given, the payload door opened, however NanoSail-D2 did not eject from FASTSAT. It was assumed that the payload was stuck inside of FASTSAT for good. On Jan 19 2011, it was confirmed that NanoSail-D2 had finally ejected. It is not known why it did not eject in the first place, nor is it known what ultimately caused the satellite to eject. NanoSail-D2 unfurled its 100 square-foot (10 x 10) solar sail a day later and then, for a few days, was able to transmit a homing signal. Several amateur radio enthusiasts were able to receive the signal before NanoSail-D2's internal batteries ran out (as expected)three days later. Currently it is projected that NanoSail-D2 will deorbit sometime in April or May.
7:21 PM - Name: COSMO-SkyMed 1 - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2007-023-A
This is my 13th sighting of COSMO-SkyMed 1, the Italian earth observation satellite.
7:21 PM - Name: Cosmos 2082 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1990-046-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which launched the Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite, Kosmos 2082.
7:35 PM - Name: Sich 1 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1995-046-C
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch Sich 1, the first Ukranian earth observation satellite. Here are some pics taken by the Sich 1.
7:36 PM - Name: Abrixas - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1999-022-A
This is my first sighting of the Abrixas satellite. ABRIXAS stands for "A Broadband Imaging X-Ray All-Sky Survey". It was a small satellite which had 7 x-ray telescopes on board. As cool as that sounds, the on-board battery was accidentally overcharged and the battery died three days after launch. Attempts to communicate failed and the $20 million project was abandoned. It was launched into orbit using a Kosmos-3M rocket. I spotted the ABRIXAS Rocket several times back in Oct 2010.
7:37 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 9th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
7:43 PM - Name: Meteor 3M Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-056-F
This is my 4th sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which put the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 3M into orbit in 2001.
7:52 PM - Name: Shijian 6-3B aka SJ-6F - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-B
This is my 5th sighting of Shijian 6-F, a Chinese satellite studying the environment of space, though it is rumored that the Shijian 6 satellites are actually for ELINT. This satellite was launched using a Long March 4B (CZ-4B) rocket.
7:53 PM - Name: Hubble Space Telescope - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1990-037-B
This is my 2nd sighting of the Hubble Space Telescope. This one is usually hard for me to spot because it is nearly always low in the sky and in the south, which is basically towards the town... and the haze of all its street lamps. I usually don't even bother wasting time to attempt to spot it, but this eveing it was fairly clear and there wasn't much else to look for during that period so I took a shot at it and managed to spot it again.
7:56 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -0.9
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is 14th sighting of the International Space Station. I'm surprised that I saw this one because it was very low in the northern sky which basically would be behind my neighbor's house. But I started looking early on and spotted it before it went behind the house. Yay!
7:56 PM - Name: Lacrosse 5 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2005-016-A
This is my 7th sighting of Lacrosse 5, a US recon satellite. It was put into orbit using a Titan IV-B rocket in 2005.
7:58 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr aka CZ-4B DEB - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 5th sighting of this piece of debris from the Long March 4B which launched the Chinese SJ-6E and SJ-6F satellites (see 7:52pm for sighting of SJ-6F).
8:00 PM - Name: Meteor 2-5 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 1979-095-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 2-5 in 1979.
8:05 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 2nd sighting of ADEOS II, a Japanese earth observation satellite. Its Japanese name is Midori 2.
8:13 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This shooting star was falling low in the NNE (30 degrees)
8:15 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This shooting star was nearly directly overhead in the west.
7:33 PM - Name: 79095AN - Magnitude: 5.5
Int'l Designator: 1979-095-AN
This is my first sighting of this piece of debris from Meteor 2-5. I can't quite figure out if this was something from the Vostok-2M rocket that launched it or if the satellite itself fragmented and this is a piece of that. Most times when it is debris from the rocket or the launch process, it is listed as such. This piece is listed as debris from Meteor 2-5, so I'm guessing that the satellite itself fragmented.
8:12 PM - Name: Taurus Rocket aka Celestis-02/Orion 38 - Magnitude: 4.8
Int'l Designator: 1998-007-D
This is my first sighting of this Taurus rocket which was used to launch the GFO and ORBCOMM satellites. This piece may actually be the Orion 38 upper stage, but I can't figure out which piece it is. I could talk about the satellites, but its more interesting to talk about the rocket itself. The Taurus has a fairly spotty history. It currently has a 33% failure rate which is not very good. Its latest failure occurred today (March 4th 2011). In an early morning launch, a Taurus rocket was support to put the $400 MILLION Glory satellite into orbit (along with 3 other satellites). Unfortunately, as had occur in its previous launch, the fairing (the piece that protects the satellites during liftoff) failed to separate. This caused there to be too much weight and the rocket failed to achieve orbit and thus it likely plummeted into the Pacific Ocean somewhere.
8:11 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is 2nd sighting of this Long March 2C III rocket. It was used to put the first (and currently only) Shijian 11 scientific and experimental satellite into orbit in 2009.
8:38 PM - Name: Cosmos 1110 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1979-060-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which launched the Russian Strela-2M commication satellite, Kosmos 1110.
8:36 PM - Name: Cosmos 2084 - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1995-055-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 2084, a Russian Oko satellite which is used to detect missile launches. It was launched into orbit using a Molniya-M rocket in 1995. The Oko satellites are usually in a constellation of satellites to provide 24-hour coverage. They reportedly can spot the flame of a missile against a stellar background (i.e. in space) 20 to 30 seconds after launch. In September 1983, an Oko satellite erroneously reported several US ICBMs were being launched. Luckily, the Russian commander who was commanding the Oko satellites at that time did not report the indication to his superiors because he believed it was in error (which it was). It was later determined that the angle between the sun, the satellite and the missile fields resulted in reflections off high-altitude clouds that caused the detections. That kinda reminds me of WarGames, which oddly enough PRECEDED this event as it was released in June of 1983. Who knows, maybe the Russian commander had seen the movie and thought twice about launching a counter-strike.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 1-Mar-2011 Tuesday
8:59 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket aka CZ-2C R/B - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is my first sighting of this Long March 2C III rocket. It was used to put the first (and currently only) Shijian 11 scientific and experimental satellite into orbit in 2009.
9:12 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This was a white shooting star falling down into the NE sky.
Here's the time-line for the evening of:
Date: 2-Mar-2011 Wednesday
7:00 PM - Name: NanoSail-D2 - Magnitude: 1.9
Int'l Designator: 2010-062-L
This is my first sighting of the NanoSail-D2 solar sail. This solar sail was launched into orbit on November 20 2010 using a Minotaur IV rocket, and enclosed inside of FASTSAT. On Dec 6 2010, the command to release NanoSail-D2 from FASTSAT was given, the payload door opened, however NanoSail-D2 did not eject from FASTSAT. It was assumed that the payload was stuck inside of FASTSAT for good. On Jan 19 2011, it was confirmed that NanoSail-D2 had finally ejected. It is not known why it did not eject in the first place, nor is it known what ultimately caused the satellite to eject. NanoSail-D2 unfurled its 100 square-foot (10 x 10) solar sail a day later and then, for a few days, was able to transmit a homing signal. Several amateur radio enthusiasts were able to receive the signal before NanoSail-D2's internal batteries ran out (as expected)three days later. Currently it is projected that NanoSail-D2 will deorbit sometime in April or May.
7:21 PM - Name: COSMO-SkyMed 1 - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2007-023-A
This is my 13th sighting of COSMO-SkyMed 1, the Italian earth observation satellite.
7:21 PM - Name: Cosmos 2082 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1990-046-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which launched the Russian Tselina-2 ELINT satellite, Kosmos 2082.
7:35 PM - Name: Sich 1 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.5
Int'l Designator: 1995-046-C
This is my first sighting of this Tsyklon-3 rocket which was used to launch Sich 1, the first Ukranian earth observation satellite. Here are some pics taken by the Sich 1.
7:36 PM - Name: Abrixas - Magnitude: 3.1
Int'l Designator: 1999-022-A
This is my first sighting of the Abrixas satellite. ABRIXAS stands for "A Broadband Imaging X-Ray All-Sky Survey". It was a small satellite which had 7 x-ray telescopes on board. As cool as that sounds, the on-board battery was accidentally overcharged and the battery died three days after launch. Attempts to communicate failed and the $20 million project was abandoned. It was launched into orbit using a Kosmos-3M rocket. I spotted the ABRIXAS Rocket several times back in Oct 2010.
7:37 PM - Name: Meteor 1-31 Rocket - Magnitude: 2.8
Int'l Designator: 1981-065-B
This is my 9th sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was used to launch the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 1-31 in 1981.
7:43 PM - Name: Meteor 3M Rocket - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2001-056-F
This is my 4th sighting of this Zenit-2 rocket which put the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 3M into orbit in 2001.
7:52 PM - Name: Shijian 6-3B aka SJ-6F - Magnitude: 4.0
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-B
This is my 5th sighting of Shijian 6-F, a Chinese satellite studying the environment of space, though it is rumored that the Shijian 6 satellites are actually for ELINT. This satellite was launched using a Long March 4B (CZ-4B) rocket.
7:53 PM - Name: Hubble Space Telescope - Magnitude: 3.0
Int'l Designator: 1990-037-B
This is my 2nd sighting of the Hubble Space Telescope. This one is usually hard for me to spot because it is nearly always low in the sky and in the south, which is basically towards the town... and the haze of all its street lamps. I usually don't even bother wasting time to attempt to spot it, but this eveing it was fairly clear and there wasn't much else to look for during that period so I took a shot at it and managed to spot it again.
7:56 PM - Name: ISS - Magnitude: -0.9
Int'l Designator: 1998-067-A
This is 14th sighting of the International Space Station. I'm surprised that I saw this one because it was very low in the northern sky which basically would be behind my neighbor's house. But I started looking early on and spotted it before it went behind the house. Yay!
7:56 PM - Name: Lacrosse 5 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2005-016-A
This is my 7th sighting of Lacrosse 5, a US recon satellite. It was put into orbit using a Titan IV-B rocket in 2005.
7:58 PM - Name: Shijian6-3Aptr aka CZ-4B DEB - Magnitude: 3.4
Int'l Designator: 2008-053-D
This is my 5th sighting of this piece of debris from the Long March 4B which launched the Chinese SJ-6E and SJ-6F satellites (see 7:52pm for sighting of SJ-6F).
8:00 PM - Name: Meteor 2-5 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 1979-095-B
This is my 3rd sighting of this Vostok-2M rocket which was launched the Russian meteorological satellite Meteor 2-5 in 1979.
8:05 PM - Name: ADEOS 2 - Magnitude: 2.9
Int'l Designator: 2002-056-A
This is my 2nd sighting of ADEOS II, a Japanese earth observation satellite. Its Japanese name is Midori 2.
8:13 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This shooting star was falling low in the NNE (30 degrees)
8:15 PM - Name: shooting star - Magnitude: 2.0
Int'l Designator: none
This shooting star was nearly directly overhead in the west.
7:33 PM - Name: 79095AN - Magnitude: 5.5
Int'l Designator: 1979-095-AN
This is my first sighting of this piece of debris from Meteor 2-5. I can't quite figure out if this was something from the Vostok-2M rocket that launched it or if the satellite itself fragmented and this is a piece of that. Most times when it is debris from the rocket or the launch process, it is listed as such. This piece is listed as debris from Meteor 2-5, so I'm guessing that the satellite itself fragmented.
8:12 PM - Name: Taurus Rocket aka Celestis-02/Orion 38 - Magnitude: 4.8
Int'l Designator: 1998-007-D
This is my first sighting of this Taurus rocket which was used to launch the GFO and ORBCOMM satellites. This piece may actually be the Orion 38 upper stage, but I can't figure out which piece it is. I could talk about the satellites, but its more interesting to talk about the rocket itself. The Taurus has a fairly spotty history. It currently has a 33% failure rate which is not very good. Its latest failure occurred today (March 4th 2011). In an early morning launch, a Taurus rocket was support to put the $400 MILLION Glory satellite into orbit (along with 3 other satellites). Unfortunately, as had occur in its previous launch, the fairing (the piece that protects the satellites during liftoff) failed to separate. This caused there to be too much weight and the rocket failed to achieve orbit and thus it likely plummeted into the Pacific Ocean somewhere.
8:11 PM - Name: SJ 11-01 LM Rocket - Magnitude: 3.6
Int'l Designator: 2009-061-B
This is 2nd sighting of this Long March 2C III rocket. It was used to put the first (and currently only) Shijian 11 scientific and experimental satellite into orbit in 2009.
8:38 PM - Name: Cosmos 1110 Rocket - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1979-060-B
This is my first sighting of this Kosmos-3M rocket which launched the Russian Strela-2M commication satellite, Kosmos 1110.
8:36 PM - Name: Cosmos 2084 - Magnitude: 3.9
Int'l Designator: 1995-055-A
This is my first sighting of Kosmos 2084, a Russian Oko satellite which is used to detect missile launches. It was launched into orbit using a Molniya-M rocket in 1995. The Oko satellites are usually in a constellation of satellites to provide 24-hour coverage. They reportedly can spot the flame of a missile against a stellar background (i.e. in space) 20 to 30 seconds after launch. In September 1983, an Oko satellite erroneously reported several US ICBMs were being launched. Luckily, the Russian commander who was commanding the Oko satellites at that time did not report the indication to his superiors because he believed it was in error (which it was). It was later determined that the angle between the sun, the satellite and the missile fields resulted in reflections off high-altitude clouds that caused the detections. That kinda reminds me of WarGames, which oddly enough PRECEDED this event as it was released in June of 1983. Who knows, maybe the Russian commander had seen the movie and thought twice about launching a counter-strike.
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