Satgen101    Shuttle over Glasgow     by GM4IHJ  1st March 91
This bulletin is published early to try to get this news out before launch
On March 8th or 9th ( if all goes well ), Discovery STS 39 will launch
from Florida for an 8 day mission. Orbit details will be height 255 kms ,
inclination 57 degrees and period 89.6 minutes. The launch window opens at
about 0800 ut very approximately, which is before dawn in Florida.
Discovery should overfly UK about 14 to 18 minutes after launch passing
over at high elevation and probably followed by its main fuel tank. The
fuel tank going on to a controlled burn up over the Indian Ocean.

STS 39 is a US Dept of Defence flight whose prime object is to test
several star wars sensors. One of these the Infra Red Background Surveyor,
(IRBS) will be released from the Shuttle. Then Discovery will move several
miles from the IRBS before initiating a series of activities designed to
imitate an inter continental ballistic missile (ICBM) carrying out mid
course correction manoeuvres. Tests include firing of Discovery thrusters
and, the release of several cans of rocket fuel (CROS)

The CROS experiment will use fuel cans fitted with  radio links which will
be monitored in California. In addition a Multipurpose canister due to be
released on flight day 8, will also carry radio equipment. It is not clear
whether this multipurpose can will be left in space when Discovery
returns, but the Americans have said they will be recovering the IRBS
pallette. No radio frequency details have been given but 400.662 wide band
FM has been used in the past on can experiments. Other Shuttle frequencies
are :-   243.0 emergency 259.7 secondary 279.0 EVA 296.8 primary all UHF
channels unlikely to be used near UK. TDRS links are 2205.0 FM 2250.0 FM
2217.5 PM and 2287.5 PM on S Band and , 13766.0 13775.0 15000.85 Ku band
from Shuttle plus other frequencies in the band 15250 to 17250 MHz. Please
note that none of the above frequencies will be easy to hear. Most of the
microwave frequencies will be beamed away from earth, and the UHF
frequencies are most unlikely to be used unless an experiment malfunction
requires an EVA.

Shuttle flights are often delayed . So watch amateur packet for launch
details. If delay occurs , date will alter but launch time of day etc
unlikely to alter greatly. Orbit window day 2 over UK 6 times between 0230
and 1200 ut, slipping by day 8 to 2330 to 0900 ut. So some excellent UK
predawn visual passes to south east of UK may be seen if sky is clear.

PS . If you have not heard the RM-1 analog transponder No.2 on 145.822MHz
CW ,it is a cracking good signal. So also is the Rudak No.1 transponder on
145.983MHz FM . They are not on together . They are still testing one at a
time. Lets hope UA3CR and co. , can give us lots of this clearly very
strong mode B analog transponder. Remember it comes down 145.852 to
145.932MHz      73 de John GM4IHJ @ GB7SAN