STS-114...Satellite Flare?
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| STS-114...Satellite Flare? |
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| STS-114 lifted off from Launch Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, on 26 July 2005 at 9:39 AM CDT (14:39 GMT). This daylight launch was the most watched in Shuttle history, with the possible exception of STS-1, the initial Shuttle launch on 12 April 1981. The timing and solar angle were chosen to maximise opportunities to film the liftoff, and ascent, from every possible perspective. These even included modified old jet bombers from the 1950s (WB-57 Canberras), carrying special camera turrets in the nose for the purpose of photographing Discovery at high altitude as she was on her way to orbit. The reasoning behind all of this was to make sure that if there were ANY debris strikes on the orbiter's sensitive heat shield, like the one which doomed Columbia in 2003, they would be captured on film for detailed analysis before allowing Discovery to re-enter the atmosphere. The Crew experienced some facets of Shuttle flight that are entirely new. On orbit inspection of the heat shield, manual repairs to that heat shield, and experiments with different methods of on orbit heat shield repair. In addition, Discovery carried over 15 tons of equipment and supplies to the International Space Station ( in the Raphaello MPLM module ), where she was greeted upon arrival by the Expedition 11 Crew. Three EVAs (Extra-Vehicular Activity or spacewalk) were carried out. These involved Space Station repairs, improvements, and attending to heat shield problems. A fourth EVA to repair a flaw in the insulation below Commander Eileen Collins window was cancelled as unnecessary. Space Shuttle Discovery and her crew landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base (NASA's Dryden Research Center) in the California desert at 7:11 AM CDT (12:11 GMT) on 9 August 2005. Total flight duration was 13 days 21 hours 32 minutes. The mission was highly successful, accomplishing every goal set for it. The sad news is that in the wake of continued problems with external tank insulation breaking away during liftoff, the Shuttle fleet has been indefinately grounded until the problem is solved. |
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| STS-114
Liftoff |
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| Belly
Inspection |
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ISSy |
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| Robinson
On EVA |
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| STS-114
Landing |
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THE
EVENT |
On the evening of 2 August 2005, at approximately 11:18 PM PDT (4:18 - 3 August GMT) the low-light black and white payload bay camera aboard Discovery was being trained on the Moon in extreme telescopic zoom. As the Moon drifted across the field of view, due to an orbital velocity of 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h), something suddenly appeared out of the darkness, and flashed very brightly. Now the object, in this "live" downlink, had to be at some great distance from the camera. It caught the light of the Sun, and reflected it. Yet, Discovery was still on the night side of Earth, and not due to see the Sun rise for at least another three and a half minutes. This proves that the object was many miles ahead of the Shuttle/Station Complex. I must admit, my first thought was that it might be an U.F.O.vBUT, upon review I realized that this flash was very reminiscient of a common Iridium Flare. It was a bright flash, which lasted less than two seconds, just like what I've seen in the sky from my home. It does turn out, however, that this flash could NOT have come from an Iridium satellite. Read the detailed analysis below the visual presentation to learn why. One can get orbital pass predictions for a large array of spacecraft for locations across the globe at Heavens-Above.com. These include Iridium flares, satellites, ISSy, and many other handy bits of astronomical information. This web site is a wonderful, and highly recommended, tool for anyone who watches the sky at night. One additional thing which is also striking about this "live" downlink is that the usual "snow mask" associated with night time TV from Shuttles is missing! Wonder where it went. |
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IRIDIUM |
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This is a photo of a typical Iridium satellite. There is an entire constellation of these circling the globe. They commonly cause extremely bright solar reflections from those shiny reflective panels. These reflections of the Sun are quite commonly seen on the ground from pole to pole. The satellite most likely responsible for the flash has a solar array not unlike that on the Iridium. |
| THE
SCENE |
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This frame is what was shown immediately after the camera feed from Shuttle was cut off. As can be seen, the Shuttle/Station Complex was just off the coast of West Africa, and traveling north east. |
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THE
FLASH |
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This little GIF shows what to look for in the longer animation which comes next. |
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As you can see for yourself, the bright flash appears from seemingly nowhere, reaches a crescendo, and fades away. This is just like the behavior of a typical satellite flash. At the Heavens-Above web site, you can find the prediction page for your particular location on the Earth, and get predictions for various satellite flares both daylight and night. Seeing one for yourself can be a very interesting experience. |
| NEW
INFORMATION |
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New information has come to us in November 2005 from a Mr. J. Smith. He has done a great deal of work researching the origin of the flash in this incident. We present his findings below. "I examined your sighting of "Iridium" in ISS video. (http://www.projectprove.com/Arts/114ir/114ir.php) I looked at all Iridiums in the area of the Moon at around the time of the video (8/3- 215:06:21:32). None were close. I then looked at ALL known objects (satellites, debris and rocket bodies). There were about 25 objects in the near vicinity. Most were non specular (rocket bodies or too small). These include ID #s, 162, 726, 4177, 8436, 7865, 4442, 25138, 25204, 26017, 27845, 28300, 28343, 28354, 28414, 28459, 14880, 18429, 18800, 15005, 12529, 14814, 19574, 22546, 10820. |
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Only the last is listed by satellite watchers as causing flares. It is 1978-042-A, DMSP B5D1-3, 10820. It is in a polar orbit and has one large solar array. The satellite is listed as 1.7m by 6.4 m. The flare magnitudes are said to be as high as 0 magnitude (or a glint of -2!). |
DSMP
5D (NASA Image) |
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http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spx513-brightobjects.html
http://users2.ev1.net/~mmccants/ppas/ppasnotes.html
Note that the stars in the video are near the heads of Gemini, the flash somewhere between the beta and kappa stars. See attached image from HeavensAbove. Below is the data from Satellite Tool Kit for the various azimuths and elevations from the ISS position. Plotting them out will show you that DMSP is in the right region. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine if a reflection CAN be seen since reflection data is not available (angle of solar array/spacecraft). ISS-To-Moon |
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We would like to heartily thank Mr. Smith for his positive contribution to identifying the likeliest candidate for what caused the flash. It's not easy to dig into such esoteric records and analyzed orbits in conjuntion with times, locations, and magnitudes. BRAVO Mr. Smith! Your hard work is appreciated! Just seconds after this flash event, there was a fascinating astronomical event. This is the Lunar Occultation, seen from the same camera, during this same "live" downlink. *** At all times during this incident, the camera was under the control of the INCO in Houston Mission Control. (INCO - INstrument & Communication Officer - The man in Houston Mission Control Center who is responsible for operating the Shuttle payload bay, and robotic arm, cameras. He also remotely operates the helmet cameras in space suits. In the case of ISS, this officer is referred to as the CATO - Communications And Tracking Officer. In both cases, these persons CONTROL everything which is PERMITTED to go out on broadcast to the public. It is a commonly believed falacy that the cameras are operated by Astronauts & Cosmonauts on the Shuttles, and Space Station. Very little camera work is done by the crews. They're way too busy for that.) At the end of the day, it's up to YOU to draw your own conclusions.
© 2005 Jeff Challender
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