tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15164221.post5581419465725622530..comments2023-10-31T11:21:23.531+01:00Comments on SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log: "UARS crash" at Okotoks Alberta (Canada) now confirmed to be hoaxSatTrackCam Leidenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08711764306071043709noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15164221.post-3743679325609162052011-09-25T23:12:08.277+02:002011-09-25T23:12:08.277+02:00@ Daniel - I agree with some of the things you say...@ Daniel - I agree with some of the things you say, from a communications and PR point of view, NASA did make some goofs.<br />It could very well be that they do know more from SBIRS or DSP satellite data: but that stuff is classified. As lordtd said after you and I pointed out in my blog post, it is actually not NASA themselves doing the tracking work - which might tie their hands. And I do think the Air Force / DoD were hampered by the last few revolutions of UARS largely avoiding areas with tracking facilities.SatTrackCam Leidenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08711764306071043709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15164221.post-65485398260110488562011-09-25T20:18:34.016+02:002011-09-25T20:18:34.016+02:00People assume NASA is the goto agency for this dat...People assume NASA is the goto agency for this data, but in reality NASA has almost no ability to track a dead spacecraft.<br /><br />The folks who do have that ability, and who have the ability to track deorbiting stuff (i.e. warheads) aren't talking and won't be. Those folks only talk to NASA when something might hit ISS or another NASA spacecraft. <br /><br />Any data NASA gives is based on TLEs and tracking information they get from the DOD. The performance of the assets DOD uses to do this is classified. Any better data we get from NASA will be second-hand.lordtdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12620024546301873549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15164221.post-34635309764531018172011-09-25T16:15:15.997+02:002011-09-25T16:15:15.997+02:00The criticism of NASA is justified when it comes t...The criticism of NASA is justified when it comes to obvious math gaffes - like stating in the same UARS update that the impact happened in the Eastern Pacific and then giving a time interval of 106 minutes that spans more than a complete orbit (that infamous green line in the diagram). It's obvious - from statements made at the telecon as well as from sources I cannot quote in public - that they 'know better' but won't bring down the error bars much for some reason. At the telecon they eventually conceded that to say 4:16 UTC +/- 20 minutes would be o.k. to say, then they didn't put that insight (missed by most reporters) into the press release coming out later.<br /><br />Much of the reluctance to discuss UARS's demise in an open manner traces back to the military origin of the data on UARS' actual whereabouts NASA had to rely on, of course, and so the blame rests elsewhere. E.g. the question whether IR early warning satellites shouldn't have spotted the reentry heat (and thus pinned down the precise impact spot) has been raised - though not at the telecon, unfortunately - but never addressed.<br /><br />Still the inability to figure out UARS' final orbit sheds a confusing light - rightly or wrongly - on the state of Space (and general) Situational Awareness in the U.S. Interestingly, since 2008 ESA is working on a complementary SSA system that will eventually involve radars under civilian control - or so I understand the policy. This will become operational only years from now, though, and thus for the upcoming ROSAT reentry (with 1.6 tons surviving) the world has to rely again on the DoD and NASA. Let's see if they do better then ...Daniel Fischerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06585730984676051351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15164221.post-64401134455004548112011-09-25T15:31:42.494+02:002011-09-25T15:31:42.494+02:00I used a SatEvo propagated version of one of the l...I used a SatEvo propagated version of one of the last SSC released orbits.SatTrackCam Leidenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08711764306071043709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15164221.post-48215748806613081862011-09-25T14:59:32.683+02:002011-09-25T14:59:32.683+02:00Hello, I spot that you'e using Orbitron for ma...Hello, I spot that you'e using Orbitron for mapping UARS ground track.May I ask from where you get best TLE for that prediction? thxemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08134585223542837457noreply@blogger.com