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(meteorobs) PLEASE READ FROM ADMINISTRATOR Re: Satellite reentry?

I was wondering when something would be said.

I was even more surprised when there was no mention
made of all the possibilities afforded to
meteorobservers should the next re-entry be known
about in advance!  I mean, just think about it, if
these [re-entries] were to become a regular event,
think of the potential benefits to the science of
fireball reporting from all the "practice" we would
get on these pieces of falling space junk.

I have discussed this subject many times with a
colleague of mine, who works for a company contracted
to keep track of all this re-entering space debris,
but he would scoff at my ideas, because as he would
say, "Re-entering debris is less common than natural
fireballs."  But every time that a fireball from
falling space junk got into the media, just THIS YEAR
alone, I would bring up the subject again and again. 
Finally, after this last episode, this is what he had
to say:

My question to him was:

> Was this re-entry predicted?

His response was:

"There really wasn't time -- it was part of a Russian
launch that had occurred only a few hours earlier. But
it would be good for us to pay attention to any future
Russian launches of this type (same inclination, final
intended altitude) -- this would allow multiple video
cameras (on tripods, so azimuth and elevation can be
reconstructed!) to be located along promising reentry
corridors at surveyed coordinates, in turn permitting
the 3-D trajectory to be reconstructed, and possible
surviving debris to be recovered."

I wouldn't call this a change-of-heart, but more like
a recognition of the possibility of doing some
potentially good science.

Should the above scenario present itself, and with
your permission, Lew, I will probably make a post to
the List with the most "promising reentry corridors".
  
What better group to solicit than the Meteorobservers.

Bob V.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 03 Dec 2001 19:39:30 -0500
From: Lew Gramer <dedalus@latrade.com>

Subject: PLEASE READ FROM ADMINISTRATOR Re: Satellite 
reentry? 

Please note that the primary reason for meteorobs'
existence is not to discuss artificial satellite or
debris reentry! Some discussions about this subject
are
obviously in order - in particular, to determine
whether a widely seen fireball may or may not be of
celestial origin...

And of course, we are lucky to have people with an
expertise in identification
of reentries, among us on this list!
+++message truncated+++




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