[sarex] Tracking Tips for ISS

[Miles.Mann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Miles Mann)]

Arthur z Rowe wrote:

Miles where are the keps for Zvezda found? 
Arthur n1orc

Miles:
You don't need them.

Do not track Zvezda, track Zarya.

Reason:

The best way to track the Service Module Zvezda during the ISS DOCKING
missions, is to Track the Space Station Zarya and not the Service Module
Zvezda.  The Service Module Zvezda will be flight tested
in orbit for a few days.  Each day the Service Module Zvezda engines
will be fired.
The actual docking of ISS Zarya and Zvezda will not take place until 5-7
days after launch.

During the Zvezda 7 day flight, the Service Module Zvezda will be firing
its engines frequently.  
This will cause your Zvezda tracking Kep data to be inaccurate.
Any Zvezda kep data that is more than a few hours old will be off my
many minutes.  
Since the Space station is relatively stable, you will be able to more
accurately track 
the Zarya Space Station.
On this specific ISS mission, the ISS Zarya module will make the final
orbit
changes and perform the actual docking.  This means that the day of
docking, all of
your ISS keps will be off, until the next batch of Post Docking keps are
published.
The nasa web page below has a more detailed explanation.

Miles

Keps web page.
http://celestrak.com/

http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/iss.txt

ISS (ZARYA)             
1 25544U 98067A   00192.46617956  .00031980  00000-0  30319-3 0  8209
2 25544  51.5827  20.9144 0005545 159.9556 283.2783 15.66606291 93589



For more information about the modules current in flight, please read
the NASA link below:

Nasa Tracking of ISS
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html

Module overview
http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/assembly2_overview.htm

Time-Line:
Here is a NASA link for the proposed time line.  
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/flights/chron.html
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