Telescope Reviews: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag???

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General Astronomy >> General Observing and Astronomy

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DblVision
professor emeritus

Reged: 10/11/06

Loc: Louisiana

ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag???
#2758419 - 11/18/08 07:11 PM

Lovely pass about 14 minutes ago. Through 8x bins, I saw what appeared to be a small sat trailing very close to the complex. Passed the bins to our 10-yr old and she saw the same thing. Came inside to find that a bag was lost a few hours ago by Stefanyshyn-Piper during an EVA. I may be losing it, but if not, this was the most recently launched piece of orbital junk I've ever witnessed!

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Bandit13
sage

Reged: 09/20/06

Loc: N.W. Arkansas

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: DblVision]
#2758481 - 11/18/08 07:42 PM

Just watched ISS pass low in the south here and nothin else was visible although starry night showed a progress sat. that was supposed to be in front of the station.

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Leatherneck15
member

Reged: 10/28/08

Loc: United States of America

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Bandit13]
#2759316 - 11/19/08 11:15 AM

No way! The lead EVA officer for the mission showed off a training version of the lost bag during the mission status briefing following the EVA. He said he didn't know the exact dimensions but the bag he showed off appears to be slightly smaller than a school backpack. That leads me to believe you either have superhuman vision or what you saw was really something else.

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Rick Woods
Postmaster

Reged: 01/27/05

Loc: Inner Solar System

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Leatherneck15]
#2759604 - 11/19/08 02:15 PM

It was a tool bag containing a space grease-gun intended to loosen up a balky joint or something. They had a spare.

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Bruce MacDonald
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/12/06

Loc: Devizes, Wiltshire, UK

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Rick Woods]
#2760007 - 11/19/08 06:00 PM

I have just checked Space-Track. The toolbag has not yet been assigned a catalogue number....

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DblVision
professor emeritus

Reged: 10/11/06

Loc: Louisiana

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Bruce MacDonald]
#2760193 - 11/19/08 07:44 PM

Well, a much more distant pass tonight, with a much less favorable phase angle. I swept the field ahead of and behind the complex w/ mounted 70mm bins. Nothing behind. Ahead, some 0.5 to 1.0 degree in advance, something was visible. The kids also saw it in 7x50's & 6x30's (10yr-old Ms. Hawkeye). Don't know what it is. Will research.

As to last night's ob, sure, I may be looney. But the pass was very close, and a rucksack sized object at that range...

Whatever it is, it sure has us worked up here!

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yagobet
member

Reged: 06/13/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Bruce MacDonald]
#2760202 - 11/19/08 07:48 PM

I just saw the ISS with 15x70 binoculars. There is definitely a little star trailing the station!

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DblVision
professor emeritus

Reged: 10/11/06

Loc: Louisiana

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: yagobet]
#2760262 - 11/19/08 08:16 PM

Yagobet - Good catch!!! Please advise as to your location and sighting particulars.

H-A is showing Progress M-65 far away from ISS, which should rule that one out.

Confidence level in tonight's ob is greater than last night, but still not up to my normal level.

Additional obs from others along the pass corridor would be great!!!

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Dan Hester
super member

Reged: 01/06/06

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: yagobet]
#2760264 - 11/19/08 08:16 PM

I observed a little while ago and definitely saw a little star ahead of it through my RACI finder scope. My SWAG is 1 mile +/- ahead.

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yagobet
member

Reged: 06/13/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Dan Hester]
#2760287 - 11/19/08 08:25 PM

I saw the ISS and trailing star from north of Dallas, Texas, near 6:20pm, under clear skies, using handheld Celestron 15x70. Very good visibility, maximum altitude about 70 degrees. The trailing star was about a degree in front. It was magnitude 8 or 9.

Edited by Yagobet (11/19/08 08:29 PM)

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Dan Hester
super member

Reged: 01/06/06

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: yagobet]
#2760322 - 11/19/08 08:41 PM

Where are you, Yagobet? I am in Keller.

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yagobet
member

Reged: 06/13/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Dan Hester]
#2760325 - 11/19/08 08:44 PM

Denton.

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DblVision
professor emeritus

Reged: 10/11/06

Loc: Louisiana

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: yagobet]
#2760396 - 11/19/08 09:30 PM

Dan & Yagobet:

FWIW - For us, last night's ISS/STS pass was only 485 km distant at it's closest, per H-A. Tonight's pass, for us, was 638 km at it's nearest. It was much closer to you folks in Texas, and at a better phase angle. I've caught a 14" dia. sphere at 1,200 km+ w/ 70 mm bins, so a rucksack, if reflective, is within the realm of bins, especially 15x70's, at a shorter range, IMO.

Dan - My optic for overhead sat passes is a 50mm RACI Stellarvue with an eyepiece yielding 16.4x, and can easily match my 70mm bins for limiting magnitude. In short, a handbag at short range is no problem.

Have posted a report on SeeSat regarding this to see what the Guru's there can offer us.

Post Extras:

yagobet
member

Reged: 06/13/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: DblVision]
#2760590 - 11/19/08 11:30 PM

I just noticed that my wording may be a little confusing, I should have said "leading" instead of "trailing". The star is ahead of the station.

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John Lacey
member

Reged: 03/12/08

Loc: Central Coast, CA

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: DblVision]
#2760593 - 11/19/08 11:32 PM

I caught it in my 10x50s near San Luis Obispo, CA. Just over a degree in front, I'd say. I don't have a great magnitude estimate, but the 8 or 9 sounds about right to my inexperienced eye.

Am I imagining things, or does ISS have a shape these days, at least in binos? It seems like it started to have a noticeable size about a year ago, rather than just a bright dot, and tonight it look distinctly T-shaped, almost a lumpy ball on a stick.

Post Extras:

Dan Hester
super member

Reged: 01/06/06

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: John Lacey]
#2760604 - 11/19/08 11:40 PM

I would agree with the magnitude 8 or 9 assessment. My most distant satellite ob was seeing an Iridium flare that was off the coast of Baja California.

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b1gred
Enginerd

Reged: 04/01/04

Loc: Castle Rock, CO 6677' MSL

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: Dan Hester]
#2760687 - 11/20/08 01:10 AM

ISS has a distinct shape even in 8x50 binocs. In my 16x70s (when I can track it) it's incredible, and I'm not sure if I was experience 'averted imagination' or not, but I thought I saw something out front tracking with ISS tonight during the pass near Denver.

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David Knisely
Postmaster

Reged: 04/19/04

Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: John Lacey]
#2761424 - 11/20/08 01:56 PM

Quote:

I caught it in my 10x50s near San Luis Obispo, CA. Just over a degree in front, I'd say. I don't have a great magnitude estimate, but the 8 or 9 sounds about right to my inexperienced eye.

Am I imagining things, or does ISS have a shape these days, at least in binos? It seems like it started to have a noticeable size about a year ago, rather than just a bright dot, and tonight it look distinctly T-shaped, almost a lumpy ball on a stick.

At its closest to the observer (i.e. directly overhead), ISS will be just a bit under an arc minute across which is slightly larger than the disk of Jupiter gets. Assuming the human eye has a resolution of between one and two arc minutes unaided, an 8x pair of binoculars would boost that enough to possibly show more than just a point of light, although again, a telescope at somewhat higher power would show more. Clear skies to you.

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luckybat
newbie

Reged: 11/24/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: DblVision]
#2770163 - 11/25/08 03:53 PM

On wed. Nov 19th at about 6pm, I had my 9 1/2" refractor out to catch the ISS. I live in Las Vegas and we were due to have about a 4 minute display. It was a beautiful sight, but there was a very tiny bright object travelling in sync with the ISS just in front of it! I was with 2 other people using binocs and they could not see it, and I couldn't see it in the finding scope. For many reasons, it has taken me almost a week to post this, and I see there is still no conclusion as to what this actually was? I would really like to know! Was it the missing toolbag?

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star drop
Snowed In

Reged: 02/02/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: luckybat]
#2770466 - 11/25/08 06:31 PM

Hi luckybat,

Welcome to Cloudy Nights.
That is a big refractor that you have. It just may have been that toolbag that you saw.

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Denis
sage

Reged: 12/24/05

Loc: Rennes, France

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: star drop]
#2771218 - 11/26/08 06:41 AM

you can now have the sighting opportunities of the toolbag on calsky.com :
http://www.calsky.com/csephem.cgi?&object=Satellite&number=33442
But now, the toolbag is 7 minutes in advance on the ISS.

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luckybat
newbie

Reged: 11/24/08

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: star drop]
#2772465 - 11/26/08 08:08 PM

Hi Ted,

Thank you for replying! I think I'm convinced now that that's what it was. Does anyone know how to track the toolbag? It's not on Heavens Above and that's about all I know. I'm really surprised there isn't more interest in this thing. I don't really watch the news, but I think it would be kinda a big deal. Thanks again!

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DblVision
professor emeritus

Reged: 10/11/06

Loc: Louisiana

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: luckybat]
#2773871 - 11/27/08 03:29 PM

The folks over on SeeSat are having much fun with the toolbag, aka “Bagsat”. Links below copied from recent posts there.

Check out the icon for the toolbag here

Funny video here

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Bruce MacDonald
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/12/06

Loc: Devizes, Wiltshire, UK

Re: ISS/STS - & a Trash Bag??? new

[Re: DblVision]
#2799683 - 12/11/08 03:13 PM

The tool bag has been given the catalogue number 33442/98-067BL.

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