(meteorobs) Fuel dump clouds

[Tony Beresford]

At 05:34 2/09/04, Bruce McCurdy wrote:
> ..
>
>  Upon further investigation we found it
>corresponded with some sort of spy satellite launched a short time earlier
>from White Plains, New Mexico, into what is called a Molniya orbit (highly
>inclined at ~63.4°, and extremely elliptical, with an apogee that does not
>precess but stays put over a very specific -- and presumably strategic --- 
>spot. Molniya satellites have a 717.8-minute orbit, almost exactly half of a
>sidereal day.) So from our perspective at +53.6° N., this thing was still
>going pretty much straight up when it dumped its unneeded fuel. A bizarre
>observation which I remember clearly years later.

I must take issue with Bruce about a couple of points here.
There has never been a satellite launch from White Sands test range in New Mexico.
However the US satellites in Molniya type orbits could easily be controlled there,
like the TDRS satellites which are known to be controlled there.

Some have been launched from Cape Canaveral up the eastern seabord of US, like this
launch. This was shown on a map at the launching companies website. Other launches have used
the Vandenburg AFB in California. 
Tony Beresford