Photo of ATV-3 in flight by Marco Langbroek

Marco Langbroek grabbed an impressive photo of ATV-3 over NL today! Click on image below to see a larger version – and see the thin white streak that is ATV!

Yet another picture I shot of the #ATV3 pass in twilight this morning. See also: https://tinyurl.com/8a6xsnv

Discussion: 4 comments

Marco Langbroek Posted on 23 Mar 2012 at 09:25

Thanks for placing this! 🙂
There is a second picture of this pass accessible through the tinyurl link (to my observing blog) in above message.
It was very nice to watch, a bright fast object racing across a blue twilight sky! And my 2nd ATV: I also observed and photographed the first ATV a number of times in March 2008, including when it was approaching ISS.
As a “tip” to you ESA guys/girls: you should consider making orbital element forecasts in tle format available like NASA does for ISS and did for Shuttles (you don’t seem to do – at least I cannot find them). We now had to make do with amateur-produced forecast elements to assess when and where to watch.

Laurent Arzel Posted on 23 Mar 2012 at 09:41

Dear Marco,
you can find ATV TLE info on : https://www.n2yo.com/?s=38096

Laurent
ESA guy.

Marco Langbroek Posted on 25 Mar 2012 at 17:47

Dear Laurent,

I am not talking about “current” TLE’s (I can get those directly from Space-Track, from which the n2yo tle is derived), but about future TLE’s.
I.e., TLE’s for 1-2 days from now with any maneouvres between now and those future moments taken into account.
Otherwise, using a “current” TLE to predict tomorrow morning’s pass can lead to significant discrepancies if the ATV makes a manoeuvre inbetween. For example, based on the March 23 tle available in the evening of March 23, the prognosis for the morning of 24 March was a pass at 4:50 UTC. In reality, the pass took place at 4:54 UTC as the orbit of ATV was raised inbetween.
NASA used to make future TLE’s availabe for Shuttles (and similarly makes future TLE’s available for the ISS, e.g. here: https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/elements/index.html Note how by clicking on the green button, you can get planned orbit info for many days ahead, taking into account orbit boosts etc.). For us amateurs wanting to plan ahead observing the objects, such info is very useful.

– Marco

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