[amsat-bb] Re: Re: Orbit Number Trivia Question

["Stacey E. Mills" <w4sm@xxxxxxxxx>]

>
>Perhaps more like metric versus English.
It's not quite the same.  The relationships between English / Metric units 
are fixed constants.  AMSAT defines a new orbit as beginning at 
perigee.  If you define a new orbit as beginning when the ascending node 
crosses the equator headed north, then every time the argument of perigee 
precesses 360 degs, you will add an extra orbit number.  For AO-40, that's 
about every 1100 days.

>People apparently
>schedule events based on orbit numbers without always
>indicating which units are being used.

The command stations for AO-40 always use the AMSAT orbit numbers which 
increment at perigee. When in doubt, consult the telemetry archives and 
check the orbit number in the telemetry for a given date/time, or monitor 
the telemetry live, either directly or at the Goddard server site.




-- 
  ________________________________________________________________________
  Stacey E. Mills, W4SM    WWW:  http://www.keplerian.com
    Charlottesville, VA     PGP key: http://www.keplerian.com/key
  ________________________________________________________________________  

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