| Date: | 2001-08-01 20:20:00 | |
| Sender: | Mike Pearlman <###FROM###> | |
| Subject: | [SLR-Mail] No. 792: ILRS Mission Support for H2A- LRE | |
| Author: | Mike Pearlman | |
| Content: | ******************************************************************************** SLR Electronic Mail 2001-08-01 20:20:00 UTC Message No. 792 ******************************************************************************** Author: Mike Pearlman Subject: ILRS Mission Support for H2A- LRE Dear Colleagues: The ILRS Governing Board has approved a one-month tracking campaign on the NASDA H2A-LRE satellite starting immediately after launch, presently scheduled for August 25. The campaign will support the initial NASDA requirements and will permit us to evaluate data quantity, quality, and usefulness. The level of further support will then be determined. The SLR Mission Support Request is included below. The mission is a test of a new launch vehicle for the transfer of satellites into geosynchronous orbit. The SLR tracking will help evaluate the trajectory of the transfer vehicle. Tracking will (1) provide a means of calibrating SLR systems over a broad range of distances, (2) help monitor vehicle spin rates and (3) support tests on the degradation of low-cost BK-7 cubes on the array. This mission, with its highly eccentric orbit, will also be used to refine current air drag and gravity field models. Details on the LRE satellite and the mission can be found at NASDA web site: http://god.tksc.nasda.go.jp/lr/lre.html >From an ILRS point of view, H2A-LRE will also test our ability to track highly eccentric orbits. Although the orbit will range from 250 km to 36,000 km, it is anticipated that a mix of the SLR stations should be able to track most of the orbit. A review on the progress of the H2A-LRE tracking will be held in Toulouse at the Missions Working Group Meeting. A decision on further support will be made at the Governing Board Meeting on Thursday evening, September 20. Special requests from NASDA for this mission include: 1. Immediate availability of as much SLR data as possible during the first revolution; stations in North and South America will be in darkness; 2. Visual position (relative to the IRV prediction) as seen by those stations with tracking cameras; short message on estimated magnitude and rough offset angle of LRE and nearby the rocket body; To accommodate this mission, we will set the LRE priority and observation period as a function of altitude to avoid crowding out other high priority satellites. In early August, field stations will be requested to perform tests to verify prediction and tracking capability. Your support on this new mission is greatly appreciated. Best regards, Mike Pearlman Director, ILRS Central Bureau ******************************************************************************** |