Re: OAO 2 Breaking up?

"William R. Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I just watched OAO 2 (68110-A) make a pass.  It was trailed by an
> object about one magnitude dimmer; neither satellite appeared to be
> tumbling.  I watched them through binoculars for over a minute and
> they maintained the same separation (about three degrees) throughout
> this time.
>
> Whatever I saw wasn't the OAO 2 upper stage; H-A put that in a
> different part of the sky, thirteen minutes earlier.  So has a solar
> panel or something fallen off OAO 2?  Or have I once again spotted
> a known satellite in a similar orbit?

OAO 1's upper stage is nearly coplanar with OAO 2, and was trailing by about
5 s in time, which could have translated to 3 deg, depending on their range
from you:

1 02144U 66031B   03300.72720144  .00000473  00000-0  15150-3 0  7559
2 02144  35.0435  21.4957 0008403 239.8454 120.1403 14.40857853968897

1 03597U 68110A   03301.55859084  .00000432  00000-0  12856-3 0  5575
2 03597  34.9958  16.6877 0006128  32.4346 327.6721 14.44578146837075

Ted Molczan