Seeing SMART-1

Has anyone succeeded in seeing SMART-1 yet - and does anyone know of a
source of predictions? The ESA site only has a picture of the orbit and
the NSSDC site says it has no orbital data.
I suspect that working out the orbit of a vehicle under constant thrust
will be a challenge for anyone not in the loop :-)
--
"It is written in mathematical language"
Remove spam and invalid from address to reply.

TLEs for the SMART-1 are available at CELESTRAK, and predictions can be done
at Heavens Above. However, the TLEs are three days old now, and the
satellite may have maneuvered since then. I saw some information about a
maneuver to test the engine, but can not find it again. I guess we will hear
in the news when the engine is started to bring the satellite to the Moon.

Try NORAD catalogue No. 27946 or International designation 2003-043A
(designated Payload A) for TLEs and predictions.

The orbit is very elliptical (666 x 36,005 km, 7.1°) and the satellite is
only in low earth orbit for less than an hour about twice a day. Some times
the satellite is then in daylight, and most often not in your whereabouts
;-(

As far as I could figure out, the best estimated sighting possibility based
on the present published TLEs is a low pass over the Maldives Islands (4N,
73E) tomorrow evening, October 9th, at 7:38 pm local time (2:38 pm UTC).
Unfortunately (for more than one reason), I don't live there...

Christian


On 07.10.2003 21:40, in article ,
"Jonathan Silverlight"
wrote:

Has anyone succeeded in seeing SMART-1 yet - and does anyone know of a
source of predictions? The ESA site only has a picture of the orbit and
the NSSDC site says it has no orbital data.
I suspect that working out the orbit of a vehicle under constant thrust
will be a challenge for anyone not in the loop :-)

TLEs for the SMART-1 are available at CELESTRAK, and predictions can be done
at Heavens Above. However, the TLEs are three days old now, and the
satellite may have maneuvered since then. I saw some information about a
maneuver to test the engine, but can not find it again. I guess we will hear
in the news when the engine is started to bring the satellite to the Moon.

Try NORAD catalogue No. 27946 or International designation 2003-043A
(designated Payload A) for TLEs and predictions.

The orbit is very elliptical (666 x 36,005 km, 7.1°) and the satellite is
only in low earth orbit for less than an hour about twice a day. Some times
the satellite is then in daylight, and most often not in your whereabouts
;-(

As far as I could figure out, the best estimated sighting possibility based
on the present published TLEs is a low pass over the Maldives Islands (4N,
73E) tomorrow evening, October 9th, at 7:38 pm local time (2:38 pm UTC).
Unfortunately (for more than one reason), I don't live there...

Christian


On 07.10.2003 21:40, in article ,
"Jonathan Silverlight"
wrote:

Has anyone succeeded in seeing SMART-1 yet - and does anyone know of a
source of predictions? The ESA site only has a picture of the orbit and
the NSSDC site says it has no orbital data.
I suspect that working out the orbit of a vehicle under constant thrust
will be a challenge for anyone not in the loop :-)