STS-75 Tether Search

with a range of about 46 nautical miles. Again, the range for a close approach now expected to be about 46 nautical miles. Currently the two are just under 48 nautical miles apart. And that close approach is expected in just about four minutes or so. Columbia, Houston, Tinders East, and our latest estimate for close approach, five, seven minutes after the hour. We've also got a range of about 46.5 miles at that time. Any view reports you can give us? And we see video now. Negative contact yet. We're looking out the overhead window, and we'll be watching and you'll see it as soon as we see it. Thank you. I've got, just for your information, I've got cameras, Charlie and Delta, powered up and pointed straight up 90 degrees with the angle information enabled, so we'll be able to find our way around quickly. Outstanding. Copy Charlie and Delta. Columbia currently on the nighttime side of Earth. The two spacecraft are passing over South America at present. Again, Columbia and the satellite now to spot the satellite. And Tom, say again the time, closest approach. The time will be 8 hours, 5-7 minutes. Like one minute from now, so we'll be watching. Copy that. Thank you. Copy that. Thank you. Columbia-Houston, some further words on the satellite at 9 hours, 4 minutes, we'll catch up and pass from leading to trailing and off the port side? Affirmative. This is Mission Control Houston again, Columbia and the satellite making its closest approach at this point. The crew still watching for it, both on the nighttime side of Earth at this time. The crew has already spotted it once tonight. At that point it was about 150 nautical miles away. It was just after a sunrise. Crew capturing video of it and sending it down to the ground on a videotape. They reported their first visual sighting of it about 10.19 p.m. Central Time. At this point, the crew's watching for it. However, again, both the spacecraft are on the nighttime side of Earth. When reflectivity on the spacecraft is not high, it's easier to see spacecraft during sunrise or sunset. The two spacecraft will actually pass. The shuttle will actually pass the satellite to lap it in Earth orbit essentially begin moving ahead of it in just about four minutes or so but again the two spacecraft are now moving apart they had been moving. The closest point that they reached was about 46 nautical miles. The distance between the two now, about 47 nautical miles. That last call to the crew also giving them information about the satellite's orbit, that it's 27 nautical miles out of plane. That essentially means that its ground track on the air surface would be about 27 nautical miles away from the shuttle's ground track. However, the actual straight-line distance to the satellite is about 47 nautical miles now. Its closest point to straight-line distance was about 46 nautical miles to Columbia. Thank you. It's closest point to straight line distance was about 46 nautical miles to Columbia. This television is live from Columbia from its cargo bay cameras looking for the satellite. It hasn't been seen here recently during the close pass. Both spacecraft are on the nighttime side of Earth, however, though, not near sunrise yet. Sunrise will be upcoming for Columbia and for the tethered satellite in about 11 minutes. The crew did see the satellite earlier, however, about 10.19 p.m. Central Time. They videotaped it, also reported some still photography of it. It essentially a point of light at that time, about a distance of 150 nautical miles between the two spacecraft. Thank you. Columbia-Houston, sunrise in about nine minutes, and at that time we'll hope to see the satellite. We'll have lapped it already, we'll be ahead of it. Again, as Columbia and the satellite pass close together, their current distance almost right about 50 nautical miles now. Again, moving apart from each other at this other at this point controllers for the satellite have been in communications with it for about a half an hour at this point receiving communications from the satellite experiments on the satellite are being powered on a last amount of science a gathering for the satellite. Also experiments in Columbia's cargo bay powered on. The main science objective of firing electron emissions from the instruments in Columbia's cargo bay and looking at the satellite's instruments to attempt to receive and detect those emissions from Columbia. The closest point for the two spacecraft again was 46 nautical miles, the two spacecraft now beginning to separate. The crew did not see it at that point of closest approach, however the spacecraft are now approaching sunrise when reflectivity on the spacecraft is best, on the satellite it will be best. The crew already reported seeing it during a sunset that, or rather actually that was just after a sunrise when they reported seeing just after the last sunrise. Be a distance of some 150 nautical miles when they reported that at 1019 p.m. Central Time they also took video of it and I sent that video to the ground to the satellite just a point of light although the crew did report they could distinguish tether on it but again at the point of closest approach the crew hasn't seen it because both spacecraft have been over South America on the nighttime side of Earth not to near sunrise. Sunrise still seven and a half minutes away. The two now 53 nautical miles apart and separating. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is Mission Control Houston, Columbia will be moving to sunrise in just about a minute. The two spacecraft, the tethered satellite, are now about 73.5 nautical miles from the shuttle, continuing to move away now from each other. Columbia essentially having lapped the satellite and now moving ahead of it. Columbia will be moving into sunrise first and then the satellite just after it. Okay. Okay, Houston, we got contact, it's beautiful, we're going to get it on the TVs and downlink to you. We can see the tether. Great news, Franklin, and we'll look for that picture. Thank you. Columbia and the satellite now 77 nautical miles apart. Again, that call reporting that the crew can see the tether and see the satellite, it's beautiful. This view showing... the satellite. Again. The satellite, again just moving into sunrise, 81 nautical miles now from Columbia. Thank you. Franklin, we see a long line, a couple of star-like things, and a lot of things swimming in the foreground. Can you describe what you're seeing? Well, the long line is a tether, and there's a little bit of debris that kind of flies with us, and it's illuminated by the sun at such low angles. So this is just a lot of stray light and it's getting washed out quickly, but Claude is trying to do a quick good job here adjusting the cameras. Copy that. In that description by the crew, this is the tether in the satellite. The satellite with 12, approximately 12 miles of tether still attached to it. Thank you. Description by the crew, this is the tether in the satellite, the satellite with 12, approximately 12 miles of tether still attached to it. Columbia and the satellite are now just passing over the west coast of northern Africa. The two spacecraft are now 90 nautical miles apart. Controllers for the satellite did have communications with it during the close pass between Columbia and the satellite. Columbia-Houston, that's a much better view, a lot more contrast visible. And how wide does that tether appear to be? It seems to resemble a much wider strand than we'd expect. Can you describe which way the satellite is visible on that strand? to Strand. Satellite to now 100 nautical miles. Charlie, completely unzoomed and you see the full extent of the pattern. I'll try to adjust the focus, but I can't get better than that. Okay, Claude. Thank you. I'm going to zoom in now. Satellite in Columbia now almost 100 nautical miles apart. Thank you. Controllers here remain in communications with the satellite, they've been in communications with it now via the payload interrogator on board Columbia, using Columbia as a communications relay station for telemetry from the satellite. They've been in communications for about 47 minutes, receiving a very solid lock of communications with it. Those communications now are starting to get some interference, however still retaining communications to the satellite. Controllers did send commands to the satellite to attempt to gain some science information using the experiments on the satellite and experiments simultaneously in Columbia's cargo bay, essentially using the satellite's instruments to attempt to detect electron beam emissions done by instruments in Columbia's cargo bay. Again, the two passed within 46 nautical miles of one another. The crew first saw the satellite when it was 150 nautical miles distant. That during the past sunrise this sunrise that this view shows a satellite again here in the center of the screen with that 12 nautical miles of tether connected to it at present the two now are 108 nautical miles apart Columbia Columbia now ahead of the satellite. Continue to separate from it at a rate of 335 nautical miles per orbit. And we can still see it on our monitors, a very faint, straight line, becoming smaller and smaller and fainter. And we still see it with you. It's remarkably straight. Thank you, Claude. Range 113. Thank you.