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From: neal@lynx.uucp (Neal Woodall)
Newsgroups: rec.ham-radio,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Atlantis heard during launch
Summary: All evidence points to a high-inclination orbit for the last shuttle...
Message-ID: <7117@lynx.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 90 01:29:16 GMT
References: <20405@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Reply-To: neal@lynx.UUCP (Neal Woodall)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Lynx Real-Time Systems Inc, Campbell CA
Lines: 22

In article <20405@bellcore.bellcore.com> Phil Karn writes:

>I heard UHF air-to-ground communications during this morning's launch of
>Atlantis on its "secret" shuttle mission.....The last message clearly said
>"APU shutdown on time"; this seems right given that the launch had occurred
>about 10 minutes earlier.

>Among other things, my ability to hear the shuttle at this location
>confirms the high inclination orbit.

Yes.....since people as far north along the east coast of the US as Washington,
DC reported being able to see the shuttle launch, all of the evidence points to
a very high inclination, perhaps a polar orbit.

The payload has been said to be a spy satellite.....is a high inclination orbit
good for a sypsat? If the intended observaton target is the Soviet Union, most
of which is in the far northern lattitudes, this would seem to fit with a high
inclination orbit.



Neal