AAS 98-118

ANALYSIS OF THE TELSTAR-401/GOES-10 CLOSE APPROACH USING THE RAVEN TELESCOPE

C. Sabol - University of Colorado; R. Burns, S. Wallace - Kirkland AFB

Abstract

On August 26, 1997, Telstar 401, an uncontrolled satellite, and GOES-10, the latest in the series of GOES weather satellites, had a close approach in geosynchronous orbit. This paper describes analysis of the close approach utilizing tracking data from Raven telescopes and the Space Surveillance Network. This was the first orbit determination application of the Raven telescopes located at the Air Force Research Lab sites in Albuquerque, NM, and Maui, HI. An effort is made to gauge the minimum distance between the two satellites and to evaluate the performance and benefits of the Raven telescope in orbit determination. This work represents a collaborative effort between the Air Force Research Lab, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and U.S. Space Command.

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