AAS 96-118

OBSERVATIONS OF DEBRIS IN GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBITS

A. F. Pensa, R. Sridharan, and G. E. Powell, MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Abstract

In February 1992, the Maui GEODSS site detected the breakup of an old TITAN 4 transtage in near-synchronous orbit. Analyses of the data at Lincoln Laboratory showed that the detection occurred within ~30 minutes of the fragmentation. Targeted nodal and pinch point searches were conducted at both ETS and the GEODSS resulting in detection and identification of a total of 3 large fragments. Orbital analysis on two of these showed that, while the radar or optical cross-section did not differ, the area-to-mass ratios did differ. Estimates of relative mass could be made. Additional examples will be shown of other possible breakups in Geosynchronous orbits.