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From: David Rudiak <DRudiak@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 03:17:36 EDT
Fwd Date: Fri, 16 Jul 1999 08:47:45 -0400
Subject: Re: Satellite Question


From: Scott C. Carr <sardonica@erols.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 12:37:39 -0400
Fwd Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:44:23 -0400
Subject: Satellite Question

>Why is it that we can see satellites? (Or at least some
>satellites?) Do they reflect the light of the Sun? Or do they
>have lights of their own? If they do have lights, why? What
>purpose do they serve?

Nearly all satellites are passively visible from reflected
sunlight.  The only satellites that I'm aware of that carried
their own lights for visibility were the GEOS series of geodetic
mapping satellites launched between 1965 and 1975, which had
flashing beacons.

---

Source: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/multi/explorer.html

NASA web site on GEOS I (Explorer 29) and GEOS II (Explorer 36):



GEOS 1
NSSDC ID: 65-089A

Other Name(s)

•Explorer 29 •GEOS-A •01726

Launch Date/Time: 1965-11-06 at 18:43:00 UTC
On-orbit dry mass: 387.00 kg

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Description

The GEOS 1 (Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) spacecraft was a
gravity-gradient-stabilized, solar-cell powered unit designed
exclusively for geodetic studies. It was the first successful
active spacecraft of the National Geodetic Satellite Program.
Instrumentation included:

(1) four optical beacons

(2) laser reflectors

(3) a radio range transponder

(4) Doppler beacons, and

(5) a range and range rate transponder.

These were designed to operate simultaneously to fulfill the
objectives of locating observation points (geodetic control
stations) in a three dimensional earth center-of-mass coordinate
system within 10 m of accuracy, of defining the structure of the
earth's irregular gravitational field and refining the locations
and magnitudes of the large gravity anomalies, and of comparing
results of the various systems onboard the spacecraft to
determine the most accurate and reliable system.

Acquisition and recording of data were the responsibility of the
GSFC Space Tracking and Data Acquisitions Network (STADAN).

Ten major observing networks were used.



GEOS 2
NSSDC ID: 68-002A

Other Name(s)

•Explorer 36 •GEOS-B •03093

----------------------------------------------------------------

Launch Date/Time: 1968-01-11 at 16:19:00 UTC
On-orbit dry mass: 469.00 kg

----------------------------------------------------------------

Description

The GEOS 2 (Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) was a
gravity-gradient-stabilized, solar-cell-powered spacecraft that
carried electronic and geodetic instrumentation.

The geodetic instrumentation
systems included

(1) four optical beacons

(2) two C-band radar transponders

(3) a passive radar reflector

(4) a sequential collation of range radio range transponder

(5) a Goddard range and range rate transponder

(6) laser reflectors, and

(7) Doppler beacons.

Non-geodetic systems included a laser detector and a Minitrack
interferometer beacon.

The objectives of the spacecraft were to optimize optical
station visibility periods and to provide complementary data for
inclination-dependent terms established by the Explorer 29 (GEOS
1) gravimetric studies.

The spacecraft was placed into a retrograde orbit to accomplish
these objectives. Operational problems occurred in the main
power system, optical beacon flash system, and the spacecraft
clock, and adjustments in scheduling resulted in nominal
operations.




David Rudiak