Satgen83 Tracking Mir, plus , Rudak2 launch possibility 29 Oct 90 Next February an Austrian cosmonaut aboard the Mir Space station should start a series of AREM Amateur Radio Experiments in Mir. Unlike Space Shuttle which has only made about 120 orbits in UK air space, the Russian Mir station has made about 9000 manned orbits in range of UK. So Mir is already up there for you to practise on. Mir transmits 143.625MHz FM voice on orbits between 0500 and 2100ut when in range of Russian ground stations or Comships. It makes 5 consecutive orbits per day in range of UK, and its transmissions are audible on nearly every one of these orbits provide the cosmonauts are awake (0500 to 2100) These orbit passes are about 96 minutes apart , so they cover a window nearly 6.5 hours wide. Because of perturbation Mir's orbit drifts about 24 minutes earlier each day, shifting this window 24 minutes/day. But please note that orbit times each subsequent day get about 38 minutes later So todays orbit at 0652 was plainly heard. Tomorrow 30th Oct the orbit at 0652 + 38 = 0730 will just be inside the window, but the orbit on 31st at 0808 will probably be outside it ( occuring too far west to be heard in UK ). So with the window moving 24 mins earlier and the orbits going 38 mins later each day, most UK orbits from 1st Nov to about 10th Nov will occur when the cosmonauts are asleep . By about 10th Nov, ( I will put details in satgen when effects of Mir's recent rise to above 400km, are clearer), Mir orbits in range UK will be occuring in a window starting before the cosmonauts 2100 bedtime. So from then until end December 90, we should hear all 5 Mir orbits each day. With Mir going so high recently, it is unlikely that there will be any more orbit changes much before January, when they may come lower to pick up the new cosmonauts without incurring too big a Soyuz space taxi fuel bill. RUDAK2 A recent message from RK3KP says that November 21st is the next possible launch window for the RS14/ RUDAK2 satellite . Rudak2 is a Russo/German packet radio package. After launch the RM1 telemetry will temporarily default to CW so that stations around the world can get all important telemetry. If you read RM1 after launch please pass your telemetry by packet radio ,to RK3KP @ RK3KP for the attention of the Russian controllers. 73 de John GM4IHJ @ GB7MAC 29 Oct 90