Satellite Tracking for UAE Field Campaign Support

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Satellite Tracking for UAE Field Campaign Support

• Rob Levy

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Why do we care?

• Field campaigns validate/improve/etc satellite
  data
• Surface and airborne measurements are integral
• Where do you locate and time these measurements
  to coincide with satellite data?

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What I have done

• Really, not much
• Downloaded freeware code Sattrack, the same
  code that powers NASAs Earth Observatory
  Satellite Overpass Predictor
• Modified output in order to calculate satellite
  information useful for field planning.
• Created a script so that all calculations are
  done automatically (with the properly
  formatted input)

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Satellite Overpass Predictor
http//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/MissionControl/ov
erpass.html
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Sattrack output
/bin/sh -c "/WWW/site-bin/SatTrack/run/sattrack
-b 'UTC' 'Greenbelt_(GSFC),_MD,_USA' 25994
tlex.dat norad shortpr 15Jul04 000 auto 1 0
nohardcopy" Satellite 25994 TERRA Element Set
Number 303 (Orbit 24322) Element Set Epoch
14Jul04 122547.635 UTC (1.3 days ago) Orbit
Geometry 698.72 km x 700.48 km at 98.194
deg Propagation Model SGP4 Ground Location
Greenbelt (GSFC), MD, USA Time is shown in UTC
(0.00 h) OVERPASS SUMMARY Date (UTC)
Time (UTC) of Azimuth at Peak
Height Vis Orbit Rise Peak
Set Ris Pk Set Elev at Pk Thu
15Jul04 014326 014906 015454 119 64 8
14.1 690 NVV 24331 031922
032621 033320 174 259 344 61.4 693
NVV 24332 050113 050455
050844 241 274 308 4.0 693 NVV 24333
152008 152651 153342 22 97
174 36.8 693 DDD 24340
165810 170422 171041 357 294 229 22.1
690 DDD 24341 Fri 16Jul04 005248 005502
005732 73 54 32 1.8 687 DDD 24345
We need more information (glint angle,
scattering angle)
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Output data for UAE
Al Khazana Lat 24.16 N, Long 55.10 E
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Other relevant info

• Need input locations (AERONET lat/long for
  example)
• Satellite view zenith is an approximation (90 -
  elevation), therefore glint and scattering angles
  are also approximate.
• Need to update two-line-elements (tle) before
  running
• Valid for any satellite
• Charles Gatebe has my code