"Skywise" wrote:

"William R Thompson" wrote:

"Skywise" wrote:

The most amazing thing I've seen was one of the USA series
spy sats, USA 32 I think it was. Thing looked like it could
have been Pink Floyds mirror ball up there the way it was
sparkling. I'm sure the conspiracy nutz would have had a
field day with that observation.

Do you mean Ajisai (1986-061A)? The disco ball is
always an amazing sight, even if it's only visible in binoculars.

No. I was observing a predicted pass of USA 32. It was so
spectacular that I recall it very specifically now.

The best flare I ever saw was OAO 2. It was as bright as
the best Iridium flares, but lasted over a minute.

According to astronautix.com, USA 32 is a Singleton satellite,
launched aboard a Titan 23G (a slightly modified Titan 2).
It's supposed to be a signals intelligence satellite, possibly with
some imaging capability. One source claims that it has a
ten meter radar dish antenna. I can't find any pictures of
the satellite anywhere, but it's probably got a large solar
panel or two for power.

--Bill Thompson