28 February 2009

Sunspots Observed

I was not able to do any solar observing this month.

Observing Hours for the Year 2009

	Day			Night			Total
	Hours	Days	Avg	Hours	Days	Avg	Hours	Days	Avg
Jan	0.50	2	0.25	0.25	1	0.25	0.75	2	0.38
Feb	2.75	11	0.25	2.50	9	0.28	2.25	14	0.38
TOTAL	3.25	13	0.25	2.75	10	0.28	6.00	16	0.38

26 February 2009

NASA has established 2054 EDT on 12Mar09 as the new target launch date for STS-119. There will be an executive level meeting on 4Mar09 to set the official launch date.

That will make the flyby and MECO visible from NYC, weather permitting. There will not be any ISS visible passes on 11 or 12Mar09. Docking would occur on 14Mar09 so there would be an opportunity to see a dual pass on 13Mar09 at 2102 EDT.

If they can't launch on 12Mar09 they have a launch window on 13Mar09 after which they will have to stand down until 7Apr09 because of the launch of a Soyuz Progress ship carrying the Expedition 19 crew.

• Spaceflight Now article
• Launch windows
• Master Flight Plan

25 February 2009

The STS-119 Flight Readiness Review is to continue today. In a story published last night Spaceflight Now says that the shuttle could not fly before 12Mar09 and can't fly between 13Mar09 and 7Apr09 due to the presence of the Progress craft carrying Expedition 19. NASA has decided to swap out the Discovery Hydrogen Flow Control valves for similar valves that have less flight time and have had better results in the tests performed on them. Later today they are to announce what their plan is for getting Discovery off the ground and what it will mean for other craft in the fleet.

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Observing Location	Washington Square Park, New York, NY
Observational Period	1545-1600 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 42° F Wind Calm Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.40" Hg Steady Feels Like Cool It feels like an early spring day. There are still ice puddles in the streets. There are no clouds and the sky is light blue. Transparency Excellent Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Venus Constellation Psc Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1545 EST Comments Venus was very faint and I wasn’t sure I was seeing it but it didn’t move in the sky when I moved my head. I even changed my location twice and was able to recover it each time. Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waning Crescent Elongation 36.92° E % Illuminated 21.9% Distance Light Time (from Earth) 0.3884111 AU 3m 13.84s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size 42.94" Magnitude -4.6 Altitude 53.8765°

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Observing Location	Bowery @ Great Jones St, New York, NY
Observational Period	1900-1915 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear (?) Temperature 35° F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.41" Hg Steady Feels Like Cool I can’t be sure of it but I get the impression that there may be some light cirrus clouds or at least haze up there. Transparency Good Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Capella Constellation Aur Category Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1905 EST Comments Capella was at zenith and very bright.

Target Cassiopeia Constellation Cas Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1910 EST Comments I could only locate the α and β stars of Cas, both Mag 2.2x.

Target Iridium 3 Flare Constellation Cam Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1910 EST Comments This was the strangest Iridium flare I have ever seen. It did not appear to come from where it should have (based on my understanding of directions at this location) and didn’t really flare. I had checked in CalSky and determined that the satellite would be moving on a S to N track and should pass through the bowl of the little dipper then flare just NE of Polaris. I observed it as it passed under Shedar and Navi in Cas appearing to come out of the WSW-W and go to the ENE-E passing above Dhube and Merak in UMa before it began to fade. Until it began to fade its brightness appeared to be constant and it was brighter than Shedar and Navi. It was more like an ISS pass than an Iridium flare. I checked CalSky to see what other satellites would be on that track at that time of night and only came up with TRMM which went in the right direction but was farther down on the southern horizon and was fainter than Shedar and Navi. Alt. 41° Az. 14° NNE Mag. -1 Surface MMA2

Target Castor and Pollux Constellation Gem Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1915 EST Comments The only stars I could pick out in Gemini tonight were α Gem and β Gem.

Target Orion Constellation Ori Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1915 EST Comments I saw the three bright corner stars and the belt but not the sword, shield or club.

Target Taurus Constellation Tau Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1915 EST Comments I saw Aldeberan and some twinkling where the Pliades would be but I could not make out individual stars in M45.

Target Sirius Constellation CMa Category Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090225.1915 EST Comments Sirisu is low on the horizon and often hidden by buildings. It is very bright, especially for its altitude - or lack thereof - in the sky.

24 February 2009

Observing Location	Bowery @ E 3 St, New York, NY
Observational Period	1545-1600 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 37° F Wind Calm Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.28" Hg Steady Feels Like Cool Blue sky, no clouds, low humidity. There is still ice in the streets where water has pooled at the kerb. Transparency Excellent Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Venus Constellation Psc Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090224.1545 EST Comments Not Seen Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waning Crescent Elongation 37.55° E % Illuminated 22.8% Distance Light Time (from Earth) 0.3945593 AU 3m 16.91s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size 42.27" Magnitude -4.6 Altitude 54.0256°

21 February 2009

Spaceflight Now is reporting that the Flight Readiness Review team was not able to agree to launch the Shuttle and will not meet to consider the matter again before next Wednesday, 25Feb09. They have to get the Shuttle launched in early March or stand down until mid-April to avoid conflicts with the scheduled progress flight to deliver Expedition 19 to ISS.

Space.com article

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Observing Location	Bowery @ Houston St
Observational Period	1515-1530 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 40° F Wind Calm Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.20" Hg Falling Feels Like Cool Nice clear blue sky Transparency Excellent Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Venus Constellation Psc Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090221.1515 EST Comments Not Seen Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waning Crescent Elongation 39.29° E % Illuminated 25.5% Distance Light Time (from Earth) 0.4136521 AU 3m 26.44s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size 40.32" Magnitude -4.6 Altitude 56.8251°

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Observing Location	Bowery @ E 3 St, New York, NY
Observational Period	1715-1730 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Temperature 39° F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.21" Hg Rising Feels Like Cool There are cirrus clouds building in from the SW. It feels cooler and a little moister than it did before sunset. Transparency Fair Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Venus Constellation Psc Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090221.1715 EST Comments Venus was hard to find and was difficult to recover once I lost it. It did shine through the thickest bands of cloud. Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waning Crescent Elongation 39.24° E % Illuminated 25.4% Distance Light Time (from Earth) 0.4131156 AU 3m 26.17s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size 40.37" Magnitude -4.6 Altitude 41.3003°

20 February 2009

Spaceweather today says that the orbits of the Iridium and Cosmos satellite collision have been refined and that some of the Cosmos debris is in an orbit that spans that of the ISS. It says that ISS is not in any immediate danger and that the low point (perigee) for that debris is over the South Pole.

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With NASA meeting at KSC for another Flight Readiness Review Spaceflight Now is reporting disagreement among the parties as to the appropriate action to take regarding the 27Feb09 launch of STS-119 due to continued concern over hydrogen flow valves in the Shuttle.

There are reported to be three trains of thought:

1. it is safe to launch as is and nothing further needs to be done
2. it is not safe to launch and will not be until the valves have been redesigned
3. the risk is minimal so it is safe to launch but work should be initiated to redesign the valves for future flights.

Given NASA's prior performance my feeling is that the launch will go off as scheduled with a possible redesign for future flights.

Delaying the launch will place ISS completion before Shuttle retirement in 2010 in jeopardy. I have not heard that the Obama administration has eased the retirement deadline pressure and they have not appointed a new administrator for the agency yet.

Of option three some of the review board are reported to express the opinion that if it is safe to launch this flight with the current inventory of valves than there it is safe to use them in future flights and there is no need to redesign them.

19 February 2009

ESA has announced that the name of its next Automated Transfer Vehicle will be Johannes Kepler. That ATV is not scheduled to fly until 2010. ESA press release