SPX-522 25 April 1997 SPACEWARN Activities A publication of NASA NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S and the WWAS for ISES/COSPAR (All information in this publication was received between 25 March 1997 and 24 April 1997.) A. List of New International Designations and Launch Dates (UT). (USSPACECOM Catalog numbers are in parentheses.) 1997-018A (24779) MINISAT 01 21 Apr 1997-015A (24761) COSMOS 2340 09 Apr 1997-017A (24772) COSMOS 2341 17 Apr 1997-014A (24757) PROGRESS M-34 06 Apr 1997-016B (24769) B-SAT 1A 16 Apr 1997-013A (24755) STS 83 04 Apr 1997-016A (24768) THAICOM 3 16 Apr 1997-012A (24753) DMSP F14 04 Apr B. Text of Launch Announcements. 1997-018A MINISAT 01 is a Spanish spacecraft that was launched at 11:59 UT by a Pegasus XL rocket carried on a Lockheed Tristar plane flying out westward from the Canary Islands. The 200 kg spacecraft is a hexagonal prism of height 1.5 m and width 1.0 m and carries a UV photometer and fluids for microgravity research. Initial orbital parameters were period 96.1 min, apogee 581 km, perigee 562 km, and inclination 150.9 deg. 1997-017A COSMOS 2341 is a Russian military spacecraft that was launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome by a Cosmos-3M rocket at 13:03 UT. Initial orbital parameters were period 105.1 min, apogee 1,027 km, perigee 995 km, and inclination 82.9 deg. 1997-016B B-SAT 1A is a Japanese geosynchronous communication spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44L rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 23:08 UT. (It is the first one in the BS-4 series.) 1997-016A THAICOM 3 is Thailand's geosynchronous communications spacecraft that was launched by an Ariane 44L rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 23:08 UT. It carried 14 transponders in the Ku-band. 1997-015A COSMOS 2340 is a Russian military communications spacecraft that was launched by a Molniya-M booster from Plesetsk cosmodrome at 08:59 UT. Initial orbital parameters were period 11.8 hr, apogee 39,376 km, perigee 537 km, and inclination 62.9 deg. 1997-014A PROGRESS M-34 is a Russian automatic cargo ship that was launched from Baykonur by a Soyuz-V rocket at 16:04 UT. It carried 2,430 kg of cargo including 400 kg of food, 200 kg of linen and personal wares, 250 kg of scientific instruments, many kg of urgently needed oxygen cartridges, and three fire extinguishers; all were delivered to MIR station after automatically docking with it at 17:30 UT on 8 April. Initial orbital parameters were period 92.2 min, apogee 391 km, perigee 377 km, and inclination 51.6 deg. 1997-013A STS 83 is an American Shuttle spacecraft that was launched from Cape Canaveral. It carried the Spacelab module containing resources for many microgravity experiments and a combustion facility where the rise, spread, and extinction of flames under microgravity conditions were to be investigated. However, some of the hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells were soon found to be degrading to sub-normal outputs, enhancing risks of explosions. The mission was aborted on 8 April, and the Shuttle landed back at Cape Canaveral. Initial orbital parameters were period 90.5 min, apogee 303 km, perigee 298 km, and inclination 28.4 deg. 1997-012A DMSP F14, also named USA 131, is an American military spacecraft that was launched from Vandenberg AFB by a Titan 2 rocket. It carries imaging photometers and instruments for detecting energetic particles that create Auroral phenomena. Initial orbital parameters were period 101.8 min, apogee 854 km, perigee 843 km, and inclination 98.9 deg. C. Spacecraft Particularly Suited for International Participation. 1. Spacecraft with essentially continuous radio beacons on frequencies less than 150 MHz, or higher frequencies if especially suited for ionospheric or geodetic studies. (NNSS denotes U.S. Navy Navigational Satellite System; an asterisk [*] indicates updated/new information since the last issue. Updates or corrections to the list are possible only with information from the user community.) SEE LIST IN SPX-520. THE LIST WILL REAPPEAR ONLY AFTER MAJOR UPDATES TO THE LIST ARE AVAILABLE. 2. Global Positioning System satellites useful for navigational purposes and geodetic studies. ("NNN" denotes no national name. SPACEWARN Bulletin appreciates suggestions to update this list. An asterisk [*] denotes changes in this issue. High precision [< 20 cm] GPS constellation tracking data obtained from the network of about 80 dedicated global stations that are of interest to geodetic study may be obtained through the following services provided by the International Association of Geodesy [IGS]). FTP: igscb.jpl.nasa.gov [directory /igscb] WWW: http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/ E-Mail: igscb@cobra.jpl.nasa.gov The standard format of the GPS situation appeared in SPX-518. It will not be repeated since an excellent source of trajectory- and science-related GPS information is http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/gcraft/notes/gps/gps.html#DODSystem. It provides many links to GPS-related data bases. 3. Russian Global Navigational (Positioning) Spacecraft, GLONASS constellation. (SPACEWARN requests updates or additions from readers to this list. An asterisk [*] indicates updates or additions to the list.) All GLONASS spacecraft are in the general COSMOS series. The COSMOS numbers invoked by USSPACECOM have sometimes differed from the numbers (NNNN) associated in Russia. The operating frequencies in MHz are computed from the channel number K. Frequencies (MHz) are L1 = 1602.0 + 0.5625K and L2 = 1246.0 + 0.4375K. The standard format of the GLONASS situation appeared in SPX-515. It will not be repeated in view of the excellent updated source, with the URL http://www.rssi.ru/SFCSIC/glonass.html maintained by the Coordinational Scientific Information Center (CSIC), Russian Space Forces. 4. Actual decays/landings of payload spacecraft and rocket bodies (R/B) only. No further information is available. Designations Common Name 1997 1964-006B (00748) ELECTRON 2 18 Apr 1997-014B (24758) R/B SUYUZ-V 09 Apr 1997-013A (24755) STS 83 Landed on 08 Apr 1996-067B (24666) R/B ATLAS 2 07 Apr 5. Miscellaneous Items. (This section contains information/data that are entered on occasion and may not be repeated in each issue of the SPACEWARN Bulletin.) NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S is an archival center for science data from many spacecraft. Some data are on line for electronic access. Please contact the Request Office, NSSDC, Code 633, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A., for specific information (REQUEST@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV). Information on the current status of the instruments on board from the investigators will be most welcomed. Precomputed trajectory files and orbital parameters of many magnetospheric and heliospheric science-payload spacecraft may be FTP'ed from NSSDC's ANON_DIR:[000000.ACTIVE] and its several subdirectories. (See the last page of the bulletin for the access method; a file in the ACTIVE directory named AAREADME.DOC outlines the contents.) It can also be accessed through the WWW URL http://sscop1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc.html This HTML also enables executing several codes related to the orbits of many geocentric science payload spacecraft. The codes related to the heliospheric spacecraft trajectories can be executed through the URL http://nssdc/space/helios/heli.html Magnetospheric, planetary, and astronomical science data from many spacecraft may be accessed through links from the URL http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ =========================================================================== SPACEWARN Bulletin The bulletin is intended to serve as an international communication medium for the rapid distribution of information on satellites and space probes. The material it contains is based on guidelines in the COSPAR Guide to Rocket and Satellite Information and Data Exchange, COSPAR Transactions #8, December 1972, and various Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) resolutions. Hard copy recipients and electronic accessers are encouraged to disseminate the bulletin to interested individuals and institutions in their regions or countries. All bulletins beginning with January 1991 (SPX-447) are now available on line; the SPX number increases by one for each succeeding month (for example, the January 1993 bulletin is SPX-471). Through DECnet: At prompt type: copy nssdca::anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 Through FTP: At prompt type: ftp nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov At the next prompt type: anonymous At the PASSWORD (NSSDCA.GSFC.GOV.ANONYMOUS) prompt hit: return At the next prompt type: get anon_dir:[000000.active.spx]spx.471 spx.471 Other subdirectories in [000000.active] carry many files of interest on science payload spacecraft. The bulletin may also be accessed through the World Wide Web (WWW). The URL is http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacewarn/spacewarn.html. Users are urged to submit their comments and suggestions for the improvement of this bulletin to SPACEWARN Bulletin, World Data Center-A for Rockets and Satellites, Code 633, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, U.S.A. Categories of Spacecraft To improve the effectiveness of international distribution of satellite and space probe information via the SPACEWARN system, spacecraft are identified in categories according to the urgency and detail of information needed by the scientific community as follows: CATEGORY 1: Spacecraft that carry essentially continuous telemetry or radio beacons, usually on frequencies less than 150 MHz. CATEGORY 2: GPS constellation of positioning/navigational spacecraft. CATEGORY 3: GLONASS constellation of positioning/navigational spacecraft. CATEGORY 4: Occasionally, a list of bright, orbiting objects of visual magnitude 4 or brighter. The bulletin also carries launch dates, international IDs, and USSPACECOM catalog numbers, followed by a brief outline of the payload and orbital parameters, re-entry of major objects, and miscellaneous sections. These data are based on launch announcements or on information received from individuals, launching authorities, FBIS and USSPACECOM telexes, and news magazines.