STARSHINE UPDATE
August 2, 1999
PLEASE START TRACKING AND REPORTING ON MIR AND ISS
We need your help again. We're not getting enough sighting reports
on Starshine to be able to check out our orbit computation software as thoroughly as we would like. We think that's because most of
you are out of school for the summer, and because Starshine's mirrors are still not
flashing frequently enough in a typical pass to make it possible for you to
make precise measurements of its position. We do expect the flash
rate to improve later in the mission (Click here: http://www.azinet.com/starshine/update062599.htm,
to see why).
To get ready for that happier day we now need to have you start tracking and sending
us
your reports on the Russian Space Station Mir and the International
Space Station (ISS), as well as Starshine.
We're trying to find out how many optical measurements we will need to compute more precise orbits than we're getting from the radar measurements that we're presently using. So, please add Mir and ISS observations to your evening and morning routine and start reporting them to us, just like you're doing with Starshine. Just follow the same procedures you've been using to find out when Starshine will be visible at your location, but look up Mir and ISS, as well.
If you have any questions about how to do this, please send me an email message at gilmoore12@aol.com or give me a call at (719) 488-0721 anytime between 8:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time seven days a week.
Gil Moore
Director
Project Starshine