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#500
by
catdlr
on 12 Jan, 2024 21:53
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#501
by
edkyle99
on 13 Jan, 2024 14:25
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#502
by
alugobi
on 20 Jan, 2024 16:17
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#503
by
GewoonLukas_
on 09 Feb, 2024 14:32
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Congrats to Tomi Simola for locating the secret X-37B spaceplane. OTV 7 is in a 323 x 38838 km x 59.1 deg orbit. Could be testing out a new HEO IR sensor for future early warning satellites - just a wild speculation on my part here.
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1755974823119872007
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#504
by
XRZ.YZ
on 09 Feb, 2024 18:07
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But why near 60degree inclination?
Early warning satellites can work on 0 degree pretty fine.
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#505
by
Bean Kenobi
on 09 Feb, 2024 19:39
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#506
by
daveglo
on 09 Feb, 2024 23:50
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Is this inclined enough to be considered a Molniya orbit, and therefore good for monitoring a particular patch of Earth?
It certainly is an expansion of the envelope, since the Boeing original max altitude was only 500 miles (805 km), and previous flights were limited to 260 miles (418 km).
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#507
by
catdlr
on 10 Feb, 2024 00:46
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#508
by
catdlr
on 10 Feb, 2024 00:56
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#509
by
Targeteer
on 11 Feb, 2024 01:08
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#510
by
Targeteer
on 11 Feb, 2024 04:39
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#511
by
Targeteer
on 11 Feb, 2024 04:45
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#512
by
edkyle99
on 11 Feb, 2024 14:01
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Apogee at 37 degrees south, says JCM. Not a 12-hour Molniya orbit I believe, but long hours hovering above that parallel. So what could be so interesting along 37 South? The southern coast of Australia? Parts of South America? The Indian Ocean and South Pacific? Or, maybe this bit from Wikipedia is relevant?
"This (37 South) parallel approximates that latitude at which solar irradiance equals the planetary average, with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward."
- Ed Kyle
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#513
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Feb, 2024 14:09
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Apogee at 37 degrees south, says JCM. Not a 12-hour Molniya orbit I believe, but long hours hovering above that parallel. So what could be so interesting along 37 South? The southern coast of Australia? Parts of South America? The Indian Ocean and South Pacific? Or, maybe this bit from Wikipedia is relevant?
"This (37 South) parallel approximates that latitude at which solar irradiance equals the planetary average, with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward."
- Ed Kyle
Keep in mind that the oblateness of the Earth pulls the apogee south, so immediately after launch the apogee would have been closer to GEO.
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#514
by
Newton_V
on 11 Feb, 2024 14:14
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Apogee at 37 degrees south, says JCM. Not a 12-hour Molniya orbit I believe, but long hours hovering above that parallel. So what could be so interesting along 37 South? The southern coast of Australia? Parts of South America? The Indian Ocean and South Pacific? Or, maybe this bit from Wikipedia is relevant?
"This (37 South) parallel approximates that latitude at which solar irradiance equals the planetary average, with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward."
- Ed Kyle
Depending on how the apsides rotate, eventually perigee will need to be near a latitude close to where it's landing (Florida).
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#515
by
Targeteer
on 12 Feb, 2024 01:05
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https://skyriddles.wordpress.com/2024/02/12/the-hunt-for-otv-7/Scott Tilley – Can you tell us more about how you and Mike McCants came to the conclusion that the object you observed was OTV7?
Tomi Simola – After I posted my first observations to Seesat-L on February 8, Mike McCants emailed me three hours later with orbital elements for “Unknown 020724”. He could not match it with anything in his catalogues. He reckoned “it was a small piece of space debris catching sunlight just right.”
I respectfully disagreed, explaining that visually the UNID was steady over the whole pass and “eyeball” magnitude similar to large USA 144 Deb (25746 / 99028C), which has passed a couple of times on a similar distance.
Next night I observed it again and very close to Mike’s earlier prediction. He told me that I’ve found the OTV-7!
Tomi Simola’s camera staring into space waiting for darkness to resume the search for OTV-7.
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#516
by
Targeteer
on 13 Feb, 2024 07:22
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#517
by
Targeteer
on 13 Feb, 2024 07:25
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#518
by
Targeteer
on 13 Feb, 2024 07:26
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#519
by
Targeteer
on 14 Feb, 2024 11:57
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