(meteorobs) Shuttle re-entry as fireball reception experiment

[Thomas Ashcraft]

The space shuttle STS-114  is due to reenter Sunday morning August 7, 2005 

Deorbit Burn   Sunday, Aug. 7      4:44 a.m. EDT 

KSC Landing   Sunday, Aug. 7      5:46 a.m. EDT 

( Note : the above times could change. )


As a radio meteor observer in the 1990s I captured some reentries from my
observatory in New Mexico.
I believe that space shuttle reentries offer a unique opportunity for
forward scatter meteor observers in terms of fireball studies.
The shuttle is a known quantity of mass, speed, distance, time and
altitude, etc. and could be a useful calibrator for radio meteor arrays.

As of Wednesday August 3rd  I am not sure of the coming reentry path.
Sometimes the path is over British Columbia , or California, or Mexico.  It
varies.  ( If anyone knows possible predicted paths or where to get this
info please contact me.  )

I think it is worth being alert to this event as forward scatter
observations might be important in many ways. ( Needless to say. ) 

You can hear some recordings in stereo of a couple of previous reentries
at:

http://www.heliotown.com/Radio_Fireball_Observatory_SpaceShuttle_reentries.
html


Thomas Ashcraft
Radio Fireball Observatory
35.50 N  105.88 W



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