Satgen 152  Shuttle meets Mir ?   by GM4IHJ                  23rd Feb 92

March 92 could be a busy month for Radio Amateur Cosmanuat/Astronaut
activity. The replacement crew for Mir, are scheduled to go up with a
German visiting cosmonaut about Mar 19th. On 24th Mar the old Mir crew
should return to earth with the visitor. Both the new residents are radio
amateurs, as is the visitor. 
On 23rd Mar, STS 45 should launch with N5WQC, N5WQW, ON1AFD and YL
astronaut Kathy Sullivan aboard. Amsat/Satgen bulletins will give further
details nearer launch date. STS 45 is due to launch at 1301 utc to a 57
degree inclination orbit passing nearly overhead Glasgow at about 1322 utc
Orbits come in range Scotland at utc :-
23rd     24th    25th    26th    27th    28th     29th    Tracking
 -       0844    0720    0726    0732    0609     0614     Low in SE
 -       1017    0851    0858    0905    0739     0746     SW to East
 -       1150    1024    1031    1038    0912     0919     WtoE via N
1317     1324    1158    1205    1212    1046     1053     WtoE via N
1450     1458    1331    1338    1346    1219     1226     Wto SE via S
1624     1632    1505    1513    1520    1353     1401     W to S
 -        -      1641     -       -      1529      -       SWest

All times UTC depended on 1301 launch 23rd March 92

Mir is equally difficult to forecast exactly , prediction times will
probably be upset by an engine burn to increase height. But the general
time frame for Mir orbits on 23rd March is  1146 , 1320 ,1455, 1631 and
1807. So Mir may be passsing south of UK as STS 45 comes over Glasgow for
the first time a few minutes after launch. On subsequent days Mir may well
be close enough to have line of sight VHF communications with STS 45.

Please note STS may not go on time, and it is at a lower altitude than Mir
( 295 versus 380 kms approx). None the less they may be heard talking to
one another when near UK and at several other points around the world .

Just before 23rd Mar a Satgen up date will be published. Meanwhile if you
want to check communications possibilities for your listening to MIR/STS
connections, all you have to do is compute the lat and long of each
vehicles sub point. Then calculate the great circle angle between these
two points. If this angle is less than 17.1 + 19.3 = 36.4 degrees (
combined Mir and STS footprint radial angles ), they are in position to
talk to one another. 

Mir will as usual have plenty of Amateur communications especially on
145.55 Mhz. STS 45 will be using SAREX 2m frequency ( more details soon).
73 de John GM4IHJ @ GB7SAN