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[Submitted by Ron Baalke (baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov)] ORBITING EARTH SATELLITE HISTORIES 5 VANGUARD 1: The second USA satellite (after Explorer 1) and the oldest satellite still in orbit from any nation. Vanguard 1 is very faint visually, between tenth and fifteenth magnitude depending on its distance and illuminaton. 16 VANGUARD 1 ROCKET/BODY: The oldest RB in orbit, and with the Vanguard 1 payload, the oldest object still in orbit from any nation. The Vanguard RB is much brighter than its payload, sometimes as bright as seventh magnitude on very favorable passes. 20 VANGUARD 3: This satellite was never separated from its rocket/body, so it is unusually bright for the early payloads still in orbit. At perigee it can reach sixth magnitude, although it spends most of its time at much higher altitudes. 47 TRANSIT 2-A ROCKET/BODY: From the 1960 launch of an early Transit navigation satellite. 59 COURIER 1-B ROCKET/BODY: This is the rocket/body from the launch of the very early low-orbit Courier 1-B communications satellite. Launched in October 1960, three years to the day after Sputnik 1, there are only 22 objects (counting payloads, R/Bs and debris) that have been in orbit longer than NORAD catalog number 59. And at a reliable sixth magnitude this satellite is an easy object to spot in binoculars. 424 ALOUETTE 1: An eigth magnitude Canadian satellite that investigated the ionosphere. This is the oldest non-USA satellite in Earth orbit, older than any Soviet satellite in Earth orbit. There are two older Soviet spacecraft in heliocentric orbit. 426 ALOUETTE 1 ROCKET/BODY: A fifth magnitude Agena-B rocket/body from Thor- Agena TA-1, launched in September 1962 from Vandenberg. The payload was Alouette 1, a Canadian satellite that investigated the ionosphere. 694 CENTAUR 2: This is the first Centaur rocket ever to enter space, on the Atlas/Centaur 2 rocket launched in November 1963 from pad 36-A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A/C-1 failed due to an Atlas malfunction. Centaur 2 was an engineering test for the Centaur program, under development for the Surveyor lunar landing probes. Visually Centaur 2 is a very interesting satellite. It is tumbling with a period of 20 seconds, with a three magnitude swing from maximum to minimum. It is also in a very eccentric orbit, ranging from 500 to 1,500 kilometers, which makes Centaur 2 appear very different depending on its altitude. At perigee it ranges from first to fourth magnitude every 20 seconds, and at apogee the swing is between fourth and seventh magnitude. Centaur 2 is the most easily seen satellite launched before the mid-60s. This is one of the three Centaurs in low orbit. 727 SOLRAD 7A / SECOR 1 ROCKET/BODY: A multiple-payload fifth magnitude rocket/body, probably an Agena. The payloads were the scientific satellites Solrad 7A and Greb, the store/dump LEO comsat Secor 1, and Gravity Gradient 1. 741 ECHO 2 ROCKET/BODY: This is the Agena upper stage from the Thor-Agena TA-2 rocket that boosted the famous Echo 2 balloon satellite into a 1,000 kilometer high orbit from Vandenberg in January 1964. Echo 2 was a 135- foot diameter mylar balloon that served as a passive line-of-sight communications relay, and brilliant visual satellite, until its decay in June 1969 due to a combination of solar radiation pressure and atmospheric drag. The R/B is about sixth magnitude, still in the precise orbit that the brilliant Echo 2 once followed (the R/B has a much higher density and was unaffected by solar radiation pressure), today only and echo of Echo. 1245 SOLRAD 7B / SECOR 3 ROCKET/BODY: A multiple-payload fifth magnitude rocket/body, probably an Agena. The payloads were the scientific satellites Solrad 7B and Greb, the store/dump LEO comsat Secor 3, Gravity Gradient satellites 2 and 3, Surcal, and the amateur radio satellite Oscar 3. 1807 ALOUETTE 2 ROCKET/BODY: The Agena rocket/body from the dual launch of Alouette 2 and Explorer 31. The R/B has a wide magnitude range and a period of 40 seconds. 2142 OAO 1: Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1 failed after two days in orbit due to a battery failure. OAO 1 has been reported as bright as magnitude -1 during one flare, although it is typically closer to fifth magnitude. All three OAOs have had flashes into the negative magnitudes, probably due to the highly reflective telescopic mirrors. 2144 OAO 1 ROCKET/BODY: Agena-B rocket/body from the launch of Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1 in April 1966. In the fifth magnitude range. 2174 NIMBUS 2 ROCKET/BODY: Agena TA-6 rocket/body from the 1966 launch of a Nimbus polar weather satellite aboard a Thor-Agena rocket. In a sun- synchronous orbit with evening passes near sixth magnitude. 2255 PAGEOS ROCKET/BODY: Agena TA-7 rocket/body from the launch of the Pageos mylar balloon. In a 4,000 kilometer high orbit, the R/B is quite faint near ninth magnitude. It has been reported to have a flash period of 18.6 seconds. 2826 TIMATION 1 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of a navigation satellite. 3597 OAO 2: Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 was launched on Atlas/Centaur 16 in December 1968. OAO 2 ran a very successful ultraviolet astronomy program. All three OAOs have been reported to flash into the negative magnitudes on occasion, probably due to their highly reflective telescopic mirrors. 3598 OAO 2 ROCKET/BODY: Centaur stage from Atlas/Centaur 16, launched in December 1968 from pad 36-B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The payload was the astronomical telescope Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2. OAO 2 R/B is a very easily seen, if somewhat visually unpredictable, satellite. It is generally in the third magnitude range, but it is sometimes up to three magnitudes off prediction in either direction. This is one of the three Centaurs in low orbit. 4159 TIMATION 2 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of a navigation satellite. 4327 SERT 2 (Space Electric Rocket Test): This was an engineering test for ion propulsion in space. The ion engine fired a one-ounce thrust for eight months, but the engines shut down before their design lifetime and the mission was officially considered unsuccessful. 4392 MAO 1 ROCKET/BODY: The RB from the first Chinese launch, of the 'East is Red' satellite, in April 1970. 4786 COSMOS 382: This is by far the largest piece from the Cosmos 382 satellite, which apparently made some separations during its operational lifetime. C-382 was an engineering test for the 1971 Soviet missions to Mars, which included the first soft landing ever made on that planet. Unfortunately the 1971 spacecraft fleet arrived during a major dust storm that obscured the planet's surface from view and made conditions on the surface inhospitable to the Soviet lander, which went silent seconds after touchdown. C-382 is a rather large satellite in a fairly high orbit, making it relatively easy to locate visually. It has been reported to have a flash period of under five seconds. 4794 NOAA 1 ROCKET/BODY: Delta rocket/body from the launch of the NOAA 1 polar weather satellite in December 1970 from Vandenberg. Sun-synchronous orbit, flash period reported of 3.5 seconds. 4966 COSMOS 398: This satellite, close to re-entry, is thought to have been an engineering test related to the Soviet manned lunar landing program. 5994 PAGEOS DA: This is one of the two large pieces of the Pageos balloon satellite still in orbit. Pageos is a 100-foot diameter mylar ballon, nearly identical to the Echo satellites, launched into a very high polar orbit from Vandenberg. Pageos' orbital altitude was initially near 4,000 kilometers, but the satellite was still second magnitude despite the very great distance. This combination of great altitude and great size made Pageos one of the most interesting visual satellites ever launched. Due to its great surface area and low mass, Pageos was subjected to intense solar sailing due to the radiation pressure of sunlight. In 1975 Pageos broke up in orbit, possibly due to weakening from micrometeoroid impacts, into about 75 pieces. Only five remain in orbit, and only two of these are large pieces (5994 and 8074). These two satellites are still active solar sailers. Solar radiation pressure has, over time, made the orbits of 5994 and 8074 very elliptical. Their perigees are under 1,000 kilometers, and their apogees are nearly 7,000 kilometers. Since they have very low densities, their perigee altitudes are dangerously low and they will probably re-enter within the next few years. This is the same fate that brought down the similar Echo balloons -- solar sailing down the perigee, and atmospheric drag finishing the job. Both 5994 and 8074 are quite bright and easily seen objects, normally seen in intermediate altitudes near fourth to sixth magnitude. Due to their large surface area and irregular shape their brightness can be unpredictable. 5994 was mistakenly catalogued by NORAD as one of the Westford Needles deployed from the Midas 6 satellite, which were in a similar orbit to Pageos, but it is clearly a Pageos fragment. 6126 LANDSAT 1: USA earth resources satellite. For information on the Landsat program, see 14780. 6153 COPERNICUS (OAO 3): The third Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, renamed Copernicus in orbit, was launched on Atlas/Centaur 22 in August 1972 from pad 36-B. It ran a very successful ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy program. Visually Copernicus is one of the most interesting satellites in orbit. It has a complex light curve that repeats every minute. It will be very faint, in the seventh magnitude range, and slowly increase brightness over almost a minute to third magnitude. Then it will rapidly increase brightness and flash in the magnitude zero to -2 range. The magnitude drop after the flash is very rapid as it sinks back to seventh magnitude. All three OAOs have flashed into the negative magnitudes, although Copernicus is the only one to do so regularly. These flashes are probably caused by their very reflective telescopic mirrors. Despite its brilliant flashes Copernicus can be a difficult satellite to observe because it is nearly invisible at minimum. 6155 COPERNICUS (OAO 3) ROCKET/BODY: Centaur stage from Atlas/Centaur 22, launched in August 1972 from pad 36-B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Copernicus R/B is fairly easily seen, typically near third magnitude, but its brightness is somewhat unpredictable like 3598. This is one of the three Centaurs in low orbit. 7228 MIRANDA ROCKET/BODY: The Scout solid-fuel upper stage from the launch of the British experimental satellite Miranda. In the seventh to eigth magnitude range. 7615 LANDSAT 2: USA earth resources satellite. For information on the Landsat program see 14780. 7902 INTELSAT 4-1 ROCKET/BODY: Information on the Intelsat-4 rocket/body series is very similar to the Intelsat 4-A rocket/body series; see 8331. 7646 STARLETTE: French geodetic satellite, 25 centimeters diameter, passive laser reflector. Probably not a good candidate for visual observation. 7946 NIMBUS 6 ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the 1975 launch of a Nimbus weather satellite. In a sun-synchronous orbit with evening passes near fifth magnitude. 8074 PAGEOS H: Large fragment of the Pageos balloon. See 5994 for details. 8331 INTELSAT 4A-1 ROCKET/BODY: Centaur stage from the launch of an Intelsat 4A international communications satellite. The Centaur stages in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) have bright repeating glints that can be seen in binoculars at fairly high altitudes. The perigee altitudes of the five Intelsat 4A, seven Intelsat 4 and four Comstar rocket/bodies are high enough to avoid significant atmospheric drag; the three Intelsat 5 and the FltSatCom 4 rocket/bodies have a very low perigee that makes their positions somewhat uncertain. These GTO Centaur objects have a very unique appearance, due to their size, tumble and eccentric orbit, that make them interesting satellites to observe. 8709 UME 1: Japanese ionospheric sounding satellite also known as ISS-A. Flash period of 3.5 seconds. 8710 UME 1 ROCKET/BODY: Japanese N-1 rocket/body from launch of Ume-1. 8820 LAGEOS: (Laser Geodynamics Satellite) A 900-pound sphere with a diameter of 2 feet, Lageos is in a very high altitude very highly stable orbit for precise geodetic mapping. The satellite is a passive reflector for laser beams. Because of its small size and great altitude, Lageos is certainly not visible to amateur trackers. 8840 COMSTAR 1 ROCKET/BODY: Information on the Comstar rocket/body series is very similar to the Intelsat 4A rocket/body series; see 8331. 8897 COSMOS 825-832 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 30 seconds 9598 COSMOS 871-878 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet R/B in a 1,500 kilometer high orbit, very sharp glints every 4.17 seconds. 10293 COSMOS 939-946 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 31.8 seconds 10295 SIRIO ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the launch of the Italian communications satellite Sirio-1 (translation to Sirius) 10517 SAKURA ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the launch of the Japanese experimental geostationary communications satellite Sakura-1. 10674 UME 2: Japanese ionospheric sounding satellite also known as ISS-B. 10675 UME 2 ROCKET/BODY: Japanese N-1 rocket/body from launch of Ume-2, flash period of 2.7 seconds. 10702 LANDSAT 3: USA earth resources satellite. For information on the Landsat series see 14780. 10793 YURI ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the launch of the Japanese experimental direct-broadcast communications satellite Yuri-1. 10954 GOES 3 ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the launch of the GOES-6 geostationary civilian weather satellite. 10967 SEASAT: This polar-orbiting and slightly retrograde satellite was launched from Vandenberg to study the oceans. The solar arrays are mounted on the Agena upper stage, which was maintained as part of the Seasat structure. It came to a premature failure after a few months in orbit, partly due to errors made in the ground operation of the spacecraft. Despite its short life it produced a great deal of valuable data on the oceans and on the capabilities of synthetic aperature radar orbital mapping, a technique later used on the Magellan Venus orbiter and the Lacrosse spy satellite. Visually Seasat is around third magnitude, although it can get as bright as zero magnitude on rare passes. 11080 NIMBUS 7: USA civilian weather satellite in sun-synchronous orbit. Passes near noon and midnight. Visually can be seen over the pole near the summer solstice. 11136 COSMOS 1051-1058 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 6.82 seconds 11266 COSMOS 1076: Soviet oceanographic satellite 11286 INTERCOSMOS 19 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet R/B, tumbler, with a 40 second period. Maximum can be in the second magnitude range. 11546 COSMOS 1130-1137 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 15.47 seconds 11671 COSMOS 1151: Soviet oceanographic satellite, flash rate of five seconds. 11751 COSMOS 1171 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 25.8 seconds 12069 FLTSATCOM 4 ROCKET/BODY: Centaur stage from AC-57 launch of military comsat. Flash period of 5.15 seconds; the glints are fairly bright, rising a couple of magnitudes above the predicted brightness. 12497 INTELSAT 5-1 ROCKET/BODY: Centaur stage from AC-56 launch of an international communications satellite. Flash period of five seconds. 12553 NOAA 7: This polar-orbiting weather satellite is now tumbling, and has frequent glints as bright as second magnitude on favorable passes. The flash pattern is very regular and predictable. NOAA 7 is in a sun- synchronous orbit that has seasonal visibility windows. Because of the brightness of the glints it is often visible at low elevations, making it possible to see the satellite even in seasons when there are no favorable passes. 12887 SME: Solar Mesosphere Explorer science satellite studies atmosphere, sunlight and their interaction. Flash period of 2 seconds. 12889 SME ROCKET/BODY: Delta rocket/body from launch of Solar Mesospheric Explorer and amateur radio satellite Uosat Oscar-9. 12983 COSMOS 1320-1327 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 14.9 seconds 13007 INTELSAT 5-3 ROCKET/BODY: Centaur stage from AC-55 launch of an international communications satellite. Flash period of 4.7 seconds. 13923 NOAA 8: USA civilian weather satellite, no longer operational. 13367 LANDSAT 4: USA earth resources satellite. For information on the Landsat program see 14780. 13777 IRAS (InfraRed Astronomical Satellite): IRAS, the best infrared telescope ever launched, is one of the most famous satellites in orbit. It eventually ceased operation when the liquid helium used to cool the telescope evaporated from solar warming. IRAS is a joint USA, UK and Netherlands project, and was launced on a Delta rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Visually IRAS is typically in the fifth magnitude range, but it can sometimes flare up to second magnitude. It is in a sun-synchronous orbit so its visibility is seasonal. From my latitude (28 N) IRAS is best seen in the evening sky in the winter months. 13778 IRAS ROCKET/BODY: The Delta rocket/body from the launch of IRAS. 13985 SATCOM 6 ROCKET/BODY: Delta rocket/body from the launch of the Satcom- F1R communications satellite. 14051 GOES 6 ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the launch of the GOES-6 geostationary civilian weather satellite 14096 EXOSAT ROCKET/BODY: Delta rocket/body from the launch of the European X-Ray Observation Satellite. 14179 COSMOS 1473-1480 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 43.5 seconds 14372 COSMOS 1500: Soviet oceanographic satellite 14612 COSMOS 1522-1529 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 39.14 seconds 14693 PALAPA 4 ROCKET/BODY and 14694 WESTAR 6 ROCKET/BODY: Two PAM upper stages that were intended to boost their commercial communications satellite payloads into geostationary orbit. They were launched aboard the space shuttle Challenger and deployed into an identical parking orbit, but idential malfunctions stranded the satellites in low orbit. The payloads were recovered on a later shuttle mission and relaunched in 1990 aboard unmanned launch vehicles, but the failed PAM stages remain in low orbit, where they can be visually seen in the third to sixth magnitude range depending on altitude. This provides a unique opportunity for the observation of a PAM stage at close range. 14780 LANDSAT 5: Fifth in the USA series of earth resources satellites. Also known as ERTS (Earth Resources Technology Satellites). The Landsat series is the primary civilian USA source for global imaging of the Earth's surface. Landsat images can show the current land use and the potential natural resources. Landsats 1-3 are near sixth magnitude, and the more advanced 4 and 5 satellites are near fourth magnitude. 15202 AMPTE ROCKET/BODY: Delta upper stage from the launch of three satellites forming the Active Magnetosphere Particle Tracer Explorer constellation. The three satellites (CCE [USA], IRM [West German] and UKS [UK]) were boosted beyond the Delta's parking orbit into very highly eccentric orbits for the study of the magnetosphere. The Ampte RB ranges from fourth to eigth magnitude depending on altitude. 15244 LEASAT 2 ROCKET/BODY: Leasat 2 was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery in August 1984 on mission STS 41-D. For generic information on the Leasat RBs, see 20411. 15331 COSMOS 1602: Soviet oceanographic satellite. 15333 COSMOS 1603: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite. Made a dramatic series of orbital manoevers after launch, changing both altitude and orbital plane. 15354 ERBS (Earth Radiation Budget Satellite): ERBS was launched aboard the space shuttle Challenger (mission STS 41-G) in October 1984. Its mission is to study the Earth's radiation budget, i.e. the solar energy recieved and the reradiated energy from Earth. ERBS compliments similar experiments flown on several polar-orbiting NOAA weather satellites. Visually ERBS is in the fifth magnitude range. 15390 LEASAT 1 ROCKET/BODY: Leasat 1 was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery in November 1984 on mission STS 51-A. For generic information on the Leasat RBs, see 20411. 15427 NOAA 9: USA civilian weather satellite in low polar sun-synch orbit. 15516 METEOR 2-12: Soviet weather satellite. Visually near sixth magnitude. 15595 GEOSAT: USA Geodynamic Earth and Oceans Satellite. 15625 COSMOS 1635-1642 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 40.25 seconds 16001 LEASAT 4 ROCKET/BODY: Leasat 4 was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery in August 1985 on mission STS 51-I. For generic information on the Leasat RBs, see 20411. 16181 COSMOS 1697: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite. 16182 COSMOS 1697 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet SL-16 Zenit booster from launch of ELINT satellite. For generic Zenit information see 20625. 16191 METEOR 3-1: Soviet weather satellite. Visually sixth-seventh magnitude. 16229 LEASAT 3 ROCKET/BODY: Leasat 3 was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery in April 1985 aboard mission STS 51-D. Due to a malfunction on the satellite the upper stage that became 16229 was never commanded to ignite, and the Leasat was stranded in a low orbit until a later shuttle rescue repaired the problem. A solar reflector was installed on the upper stage to try to warm the solid fuel. After several months in drift mode the booster was ignited and the Leasat entered the intended orbit. For generic information on the Leasat RBs, see 20411. 16408 METEOR 2-13: Soviet weather satellite. Visually near sixth magnitude. 16609 MIR COMPLEX: This is mankind's only operational space station. The Soviet complex consists of the Mir core, two Kvant modules, and one Kristall module, all launched separately and docked in orbit. Cosmonauts are launched to the Mir complex and return to Earth aboard Soyuz spacecraft. When manned the Mir includes the crew's Soyuz craft. The normal Mir crew size is two, although it is typically five for a short time when the old crew hands over to the new crew. There are frequent launches of unmanned Progress cargo supply spacecraft to Mir when manned, and there is normally one Progress docked to the complex. The primary purposes of the Mir are life-sciences experiments to determine the effect of long-duration weightless conditions on the human body and 'microgravity' commercial industrial experiments. Visually Mir is in the zero magnitude range and is easily the brightest artificial satellite in orbit. Because of frequent manoevering to compensate for atmospheric drag, and occasional major orbital changes during rendezvous with Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, Mir will often be much earlier or later than predicted by satellite tracking software. 16728 COSMOS 1745 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 11.02 seconds 16908 EGP/AJISAI: This Japanese satellite is the most distinctive object in orbit. EGP (Experimental Geodetic Payload), also known as EGS ( Experimental Geodetic Satellite) or Ajisai (Hydrangea flower), was launched on the first test flight of the H-1 rocket in August 1986. EGP is a sphere with a diameter of seven feet, and is covered with mirrors and corner-cube reflectors. The latter are used to reflect laser beams and are invisible to amateur observers, but the mirrors are spectacular. They are designed to reflect sunlight so the satellite can be photographed by ground stations for precise geodetic surveying measurements. The glints are probably in the third magnitude range but are visible to the naked eye only in very dark skies under good conditions. The brief flashes are too short to be noticed by the naked eye. In binoculars EGP resembles the strobe of an airplane but the flash pattern is more complex than a strobe light. Because of the extremely high orbital altitude of 1,500 kilometers, EGP is often visible closer to midnight than other satellites, and can frequently be seen on as many as four orbits during a single overnight observing session. 16910 EGP ROCKET/BODY: Upper stage from the H-1 rocket that launched the EGP satellite and a small amateur radio secondary payload Fuji 1 / Oscar 12 (FO-12). The R/B is quite large and, therefore, bright (fifth magnitude) for its altitude of 1,500 kilometers. It does not appear to be tumbling and is fairly constant in its brightness. 16969 NOAA 10: Active USA civilian weather satellite in low polar sun-synch orbit. Passes near sunrise and sunset, sometimes visible in evening skies near sixth magnitude. APT radio transmissions can be recieved on 137.500 MHz. 17070 POLAR BEAR: USA NNSS navigation satellite with auroral studies. Was restored from display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. 17146 COSMOS 1794-1801 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 19 seconds 17480 ASTRO 3: Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite, also known as 'Ginga'. 17527 MOS 1-A: Japanese Maritime Observation Satellite 17589 COSMOS 1833: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 17590 COSMOS 1833 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet SL-16 Zenit booster from launch of ELINT satellite. For generic Zenit information see 20625. 17973 COSMOS 1844: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 17974 COSMOS 1844 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet SL-16 Zenit booster from launch of ELINT satellite. For generic Zenit information see 20625. 18121 COSMOS 1852-1859 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 40 seconds 18123 DMSP 2-3: Military weather satellite. For general information on the DMSP series see 20978. 18129 COSMOS 1861: Soviet system-1 navigation satellite. Carries RS/10-11 amateur radio package onboard. Visually near sixth magnitude. 18312 METEOR 2-16: Soviet weather satellite. Visually near sixth magnitude. 18313 METEOR 2-16 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet Tsyklon (Cyclone) rocket/body. 18665 COSMOS 1900: This is the nuclear reactor from the Cosmos 1900 naval reconnoisance satellite. The satellites, which operate in very low orbits, are supposed to jettison their nuclear reactors into a higher stable orbit at the end of their operational mission. Twice the separation systems failed resulting in the re-entry of the nuclear fuel, once into the NWT in Canada, and once into the Indian Ocean. C-1900 failed in orbit and came very close to re-entering before the separation and boost systems activated, keeping the 110 pounds of uranium in orbit as the rest of the spacecraft plunged to Earth. The C-1900 satellite is about fourth magnitude and has a flash period of 10 seconds. 18820 METEOR 2-17: Soviet weather satellite. Visually near sixth magnitude. 18821 METEOR 2-17 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet Tsyklon (Cyclone) rocket/body. 18822 DMSP 2-4: Military weather satellite. For general information on the DMSP series see 20978. 18945 COSMOS 1924-1931 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 20.1 seconds 18986 COSMOS 1934 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 16.8 seconds 19119 COSMOS 1943: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 19120 COSMOS 1943 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet SL-16 Zenit booster from launch of ELINT satellite. Visually, a tumbler with a period of 20 seconds. For generic Zenit information see 20625. 19257 COSMOS 1954 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 48 seconds 19274 OKEAN 1: Soviet oceanographic satellite 19336 METEOR 3-2: Soviet weather satellite. Visually sixth-seventh magnitude. 19467 FENG YUN 1-A: Chinese weather satellite in low polar sun-synch orbit 19531 NOAA 11: Active USA civilian weather satellite in low polar sun-synch orbit. Passes near noon and midnight, sometimes visible over the pole in summer near sixth magnitude. APT radio transmissions can be received on 137.650 MHz. 19649 COSMOS 1980: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 19650 COSMOS 1980 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet SL-16 Zenit booster from launch of ELINT satellite. Visually, a tumbler with a period of 40 seconds. For generic Zenit information see 20625. 19671 LACROSSE 1: This 'dark' Department of Defense satellite is actually ruby red. The first Lacrosse satellite was launched aboard the space shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-27) in December 1988 from launch pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center. Lacrosse is a radar imaging satellite similar to the Magellan Venus orbiter, but with a much higher resolution. It is considered one of the most important USA military spacecraft. Lacrosse was, at one time, known by the code name Indigo. Visually Lacrosse is, after EGP, the most distinctive satellite in orbit. It is very bright, second magnitude, and a very strong shade of red. At that magnitude the eye can easily see color making the effect even more obvious. Lacrosse is also in the rather high orbit of 670 kilometers, at least high for something so large, so that the combination of color, brightness and apparent speed make it instantly recognizable. Because it is a classified satellite there are no NORAD orbital elements available, but it is quite easy to keep track of the satellite without official help. Its red color was seen while still in Atlantis' cargo bay on mission 27, and it was seen one orbit later after deployment as a red satellite co-orbital with the shuttle. Since that time it has been 'lost' for only a very short period of time, just after launch. Lacrosse is one of the most interesting satellites to observe. 19826 COSMOS 2004: Soviet System-2 navigation satellite 19827 COSMOS 2004 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of navigation satellite. Tumbler, with a flash period of 40.6 seconds. 19851 METEOR 2-18: Soviet weather satellite. Visually near sixth magnitude. 19910 COSMOS 2008-2015 ROCKET/BODY: Tumbler, flash period of 6.35 seconds 19911 DELTA STAR: This is a 'gray' Department of Defense satellite which NORAD releases orbital data on. It is a research and development satellite for the Strategic Defense Initiative, better known as Star Wars. The name is derived from its Delta launch vehicle. 19921 COSMOS 2016: Soviet System-2 navigaton satellite 19922 COSMOS 2016 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of navigation satellite. Tumbler, with a flash period of 17.2 seconds. 20045 COSMOS 2026: Soviet System-2 navigation satellite 20046 COSMOS 2026 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of navigation satellite. Tumbler, with a flash period of 23 seconds. 20064 COSMOS 2027: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 20103 NADEZHDA 1: Soviet navigation satellite. The satellite is named ( translation=Hope) for an onboard COSPAS/SARSAT package that locates emergency beacons. 20149 COSMOS 2034: Soviet system-2 navigation satellite 20150 COSMOS 2034 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of navigation satellite. Tumbler, with a lighthouse appearance, flash period of 4.7 seconds. 20197 COSMOS 2037 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of Soviet geodetic satellite. Tumbler, flash period of 0.8 seconds. 20259 COSMOS 2046: Soviet Electronic Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (EORSAT); very bright first-magnitude satellite. 20261 INTERCOSMOS 24: Joint Soviet / eastern block scientific satellite to study the magnetosphere and the propogation of low radio frequencies. 20262 INTERCOSMOS 24 ROCKET/BODY: Soviet Tsyklon (Cyclone) third stage rocket /body from launch of Intercosmos 24 and Magion subsatellite. 20303 GPS 2-4 ROCKET/BODY: Delta-II second stage from launch of fourth block-2 GPS-Navstar navigation satellite. The GPS (Global Positioning System) series is a USA Department of Defense constellation of navigation satellites in circular 12-hour orbits. The primary use of GPS is for military navigation, but civilian users are allowed limited use of the satellites. The block-2 GPS-Navstar satellites are launched on the new Delta-II rocket. The second stage from the Delta remains in an eccentric parking orbit near 400x1000 km for some launches, depending on the payload's destination orbital plane. On some launches the parking orbit perigee is much lower and the second stage quickly decays. Visually the GPS RBs are fairly predictable in brightness, in the third to sixth magnitude range depending on altitude and solar illumination. They do not appear to be tumbling and maintain a steady brightness during a pass. The second stage is actually blue-green, and carries the GPS, McDonnell Douglas and USAF logos, but any color is very hard to detect in orbit. 20305 METEOR 3-3: Soviet weather satellite. Visually sixth-seventh magnitude. 20322 COBE (COsmic Background Explorer): COBE's mission is to explore the residual background radiation from the big bang. It has measured the smoothness of the background and shown that the early universe was homogenous to a degree beyond the measuring capability of any previous instrument. COBE was launched on a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Visually COBE is a rather erratic satellite, often in the fourth magnitude range, but under certain lighting conditions it will be near first magnitude. These changes seem unrelated to the illumination phase. When it is bright its magnitude cycles between about first and third magnitude as COBE spins. Under most conditions COBE's spin does not appear to create a light curve. COBE is in a sun-synchronous orbit. 20362 GPS 2-5 ROCKET/BODY: Delta-II second stage from the launch of the fifth block-2 GPS-Navstar navigation satellite in December 1989 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For general information on GPS RBs see 20303. 20406 JCSAT 2 ROCKET/BODY: The modified Minuteman-III third stage, similar to the Leasat RBs, used as an upper stage for the Japanese communications satellite JCSAT. Launched from CCAFS pad 40 aboard the first commercial Titan rocket on new year's eve 1989. 20411 LEASAT 5 ROCKET/BODY: The Leasat R/Bs are modified Minuteman-III third stages used as a perigee kick motor for the Leasat (also known as Syncom) communications satellites. Leasat 5 was launched in January 1990 aboard the space shuttle Columbia on mission STS-32, a flight that included the recovery of the LDEF satellite. Visually the R/B has a firefly appearance in the fourth magnitude range at perigee. The Leasat RBs are in eccentric GTO orbits and are only good visual targets when close to perigee. 20432 COSMOS 2056: Soviet store/dump communications satellite 20433 COSMOS 2056 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of store/dump comsat. Flash period of 4.1 seconds. 20436 SPOT 2: European commercial earth resources satellite in polar sun-synch orbit; launched on Ariane rocket 20443 SPOT 2 ROCKET/BODY: Ariane rocket/body from launch of Spot 2 earth resources satellite and six small amateur radio satellites. 20453 GPS 2-6 ROCKET/BODY: Delta-II second stage from the launch of sixth block-2 GPS-Navstar navigation satellite from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. GPS 2-6 was launched just after sunset on January 24, 1990, and broke into daylight during ascent. For general information on GPS RBs see 20303. 20465 COSMOS 2058: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 20478 MOS 1-B: Japanese Maritime Observation Satellite 20479 ORIZURU (DEBUT): Japanese Deployable Boom and Umbrella Test. Technology development satellite. 20491 MOS 1-B ROCKET/BODY: Japanese H-1 rocket/body from launch of MOS 1-B, Orizuru and a small Fuji amateur radio satellite 20496 LACE: USA Laser Atmospheric Compensation Experiment launched on Delta rocket with RME. A star wars test satellite for development of laser technology. Visually in the fourth magnitude range with a slightly reddish hue. 20497 RME: USA Relay Mirror Experiment launched on Delta with LACE. Carries a 2-foot diameter mirror for star wars testing. 20508 NADEZHDA 2: Soviet navigation satellite. The satellite is named ( translation=Hope) for an onboard COSPAS/SARSAT package that locates emergency beacons. 20509 NADEZHDA 2 ROCKET/BODY: Tumbler with a flash period of 20.5 seconds 20510 OKEAN 2: Soviet oceanographic satellite 20523 INTELSAT 6-3: This international communications satellite was left stranded in low orbit when its booster, the second Commercial Titan rocket (similar to the Titan-III), failed to separate the satellite from the second stage. The Titan/Intelsat combination was in a very low parking orbit so the only way to save the payload was to order spacecraft separation from the Intelsat's third stage perigee kick motor. The Titan second stage refused all commands to separate from the third stage, which is not part of the Titan launch vehicle and is considered to be payload at that stage in the launch process. The Intelsat was separated from the third stage and moved into a higher parking orbit where it can compensate for atmospheric drag by using its onboard manoevering fuel. The burned-out Titan second stage, and the Intelsat's third stage which was still firmly bolted to the Titan, re-entered 14 days after launch. Intelsat 6-3 is awaiting a shuttle rescue, presently scheduled for the first flight of the new orbiter Endeavour in 1992. The shuttle will carry a new third stage to Intelsat and place it on the satellite so that it will reach its operational geostationary orbit. Until it is rescued, satellite observers have a very rare opportunity to see a geosynch communications satellite at close range -- some 60 times closer, and nine magnitudes brighter, than its intended orbit. Intelsat 6 satellites are spin stabilized, and Intelsat 6-3 goes through a very noticeable light curve from most perspectives. Its theoretical magnitude is third, but it is more often either brighter or fainter than predicted. From some angles it goes through some very bright glints. It normally gives only three or four flashes before its orbital motion takes it away from that angle. If the satellite is observed on the following days, it will almost always produce a similar series of flases in the same part of the sky. 20525 COSMOS 2060: Soviet Electronic Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (EORSAT); very bright first-magnitude satellite. 20527 COSMOS 2061: Soviet system-2 navigation satellite 20528 COSMOS 2061 ROCKET/BODY: From launch of navigation satellite. Flash period of 17.9 seconds. 20546 PEGSAT: This is the rocket/body, with an attached payload, from the first orbital rocket ever launched from the air. The privately developed Pegasus booster is dropped from a B-52 over the Pacific Ocean and then fires itself into orbit. A chemical release payload is attached to the spent rocket casing, and a small Department of Defense GLOMR satellite was deployed into a separate orbit. Pegsat is visually an interesting satellite, with a very large magnitude range from maximum to minimum, and a 2-second period to complete an entire cycle. Pegsat is in a sun-synchronous orbit. 20557 COSMOS 2064-2071 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period 12.4 seconds. 20571 PALAPA 6 ROCKET/BODY: Delta second-stage from the relaunch of the Indian Palapa satellite stranded (see 14693) and recovered by the shuttle. 20577 COSMOS 2074: Soviet system-2 navigation satellite 20580 HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE (HST): HST was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery (mission STS-31) in April 1990 from launch pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center. HST is mankind's best optical telescope despite the serious spherical abberation that has left it unable to achieve its theoretical capabilities. HST is scheduled to be revisted by the shuttle several times during its 15-year orbital life. The purpose of these visits, planned long before the spherical abberation was discovered, are to boost HST's orbit and replace the scientific instruments with more advanced designs. HST has no onboard propellant at all and is purely ballistic; it does not have the ability to boost its orbit periodically to compensate for atmospheric drag. The reason for this is that any residual propellants in HST's orbit could damage its optical instruments. HST must be revisited by the shuttle every few years to reboost it to its original altitude of over 600 kilometers; otherwise it will be destroyed on reentry, as happened to Skylab and Solar Max, and could have happened to LDEF. It has been expected that better instruments could be built for HST during its 15-year lifetime, so NASA planned to make use of the revisit missions to swap some of the scientific experiments while the shuttle was there. This capability will be utilized to partially 'fix' HST on the first revisit mission by replacing the primary camera with a replacement that will compensate for the spherical abberation. Visually HST is rarely fainter than third magnitude on favorable passes, and is more frequently in the first magnitude range. Each of the two solar panels is as large as the telescope itself, and these are held perpendicular to the Sun, so the illumination phase of HST is very important in predicting its brightness. When HST is seen at a high phase (in the east after sunset or the west before sunrise) there are sometimes very brilliant glints off the solar panels, sometimes as bright as magnitude -4. HST's orbital inclination of 28 degrees means it never passes directly over most of the United States, but it can be seen in binoculars even at elevations of 10 degrees, so it can be seen by ambitious observers in very northern latitudes. 20582 COSMOS 2075 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 4 seconds 20624 COSMOS 2082: Soviet Electronic Intellegence (ELINT) satellite 20625 COSMOS 2082 ROCKET/BODY: This SL-16 Zenit rocket boosted a Soviet ELINT spacecraft. The R/B is a very rapid tumbler, with a flash period of 1.3 seconds, and slowing due to interaction with the magnetic field. The Zenit boosters are among the largest objects in orbit and easily naked-eye, often close to second magnitude at maximum. 20638 ROSAT: The Rosat (Roentgen Satellite) is a German X-ray telescope launched on a Delta-II rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in June 1990. Rosat is the most advanced X-ray telescope ever launched. It was initially planned for a shuttle launch and the reconfiguration to an unmanned launch vehicle delayed its flight by several years. There is significant American and British involvement in Rosat. Visually Rosat has a very strong yellow-gold hue because of the insulation that covers almost all of the spacecraft. It is typically in the fourth magnitude range but has been seen as bright as first magnitude. 20639 ROSAT ROCKET/BODY: Delta second-stage from launch of Rosat 20663 COSMOS 2084: This is a Soviet satellite intended for a Molniya orbit which was left stranded in a 600-kilometer altitude orbit due to a booster failure (see 20664). C-2084 is believed to be an early-warning military spacecraft. Observers of this satellite have a unique opportunity to observe a Molniya-orbit satellite at close range. Visually it is in the fourth magnitude range. 20664 COSMOS 2084 ROCKET/BODY: This is the fourth stage perigee kick motor that was to have boosted Cosmos 2084 from its parking orbit into a Molniya orbit. It apparently shut down shortly after ignition and then separated from the payload, leaving it in a useless but stable low orbit. As with the payload, observers have here a unique opportunity to observe the upper stage at close range. Visually it is a tumbling object, easily naked-eye at maximum. 20670 METEOR 2-19: Soviet weather satellite. Visually near sixth magnitude. 20683 GAMMA: Large Soviet gamma-ray astronomical telescope. Second magnitude satellite. 20712 CRRES: Joint NASA/USAF Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite. The NASA program is a series of chemical releases of Barium and Lithium into the magnetosphere; the unclassified USAF program is research and development testing of new materials and electronic parts to determine the effects of the space environment for future spacecraft design. 20775 COSMOS 2098 ROCKET/BODY: Flash period of 2.3 seconds 20788 FENG YUN 1-B: Chinese weather satellite in low polar sun-synch orbit. 20789 ATMOSPHERE 1 and 20790 ATMOSPHERE 2: These are two passive balloons launched by China as piggyback payloads on the Feng Yun 1-B rocket in September 1990. The satellites are about 10 feet in diameter. Their mission is to measure the density of the upper atmosphere at orbital altitudes by observing the air's drag effect on their orbits. Atmosphere 1 is near re-entry, but Atmosphere 2 is still safely in orbit. The two are in the fourth magnitude range and starting to show unstable brightnesses as the balloons start to deform. 20791 FENG YUN 1-B ROCKET/BODY: This Chinese booster exploded in orbit, well after deploying the Feng Yun 1-B weather satellite and two small balloon secondary payloads. None of the payloads were damaged by the explosion, which produced about 75 pieces of debris large enough to be tracked by NORAD. The largest piece of the R/B, 20791, now has a very complex light curve. This is visually one of the most interesting satellites in orbit. The flash period, that is, the time for the brightness variations to repeat, has been measured at three seconds. Some of the glints can get fairly bright when seen from a good perspective. 20843 ULYSSES ROCKET/BODY: The IUS (Intertial Upper Stage) first-stage from the launch of the Ulysses interplanetary spacecraft, en route to Jupiter for a gravity assisted plane change to enter the intended polar heliocentric orbit for study of the Sun's magnetic field. 20843 has remained in Earth orbit, in GTO, and is an interesting historic object to sight at perigee. Ulysses was launched in October 1990 aboard the space shuttle Discovery on mission STS- 41. 20919 INMARSAT 2-1 ROCKET/BODY: Delta-II second stage from the launch of the first dedicated Inmarsat communications satellite (previous Inmarsat payloads have piggybacked on other comsats). The launch vehicle was the 200th Delta rocket. 20960 GPS 2-10 ROCKET/BODY: Delta-II second stage from the launch of the tenth block-2 GPS-Navstar navigation satellite from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This was the first flight of a Delta with the uprated larger solid boosters, and the increased payload capacity was partly used to reduce the inclination of the parking orbit to 21 degrees. For general information on GPS RBs see 20303. 20978 DMSP 2-5: Military weather satellite (Defense Meteorology Support Program). The DMSP satellites are in low polar sun-synch orbits and similar in size to the civilian NOAA weather satellites. Their orbits are not classified. Visually DMSP satellites are in the sixth magnitude range.