New instruments in Zvenigorod and Terskol observatories

Fifth European Conference on Space Debris

30 March - 2 April 2009
ESA/ESOC
Darmstadt, Germany

New instruments in Zvenigorod and Terskol observatories

Nail Bakhtigaraev (INASAN), Alexandr Sergeev (Terskol branch of INASAN)

Roscosmos delegation

5th European Conference of Space Debris,
March 30 - April 2 2009

Zvenigorod Observatory of INASAN

Zvenigorod observatory is located in 40 km from Moscow (φ = +550 41’ N, λ = 2 h 27 m E, H = 180 m ).

The observatory is one of the oldest optical satellite tracking stations and operates since 1959. Most of the satellite tracking instruments are photographic cameras and now not in use.

Photographic camera VAU for the satellite observations was installed in 1969. VAU has Maksutov’s menisk system optics. 3 axis mounting has 4 band tracking speed 0 – 6, 6 – 60, 60 – 600, 600-6000 arcsec per sec. Now we have replaced front guide-telescope with wide-angle Hamilton’s camera made by A. Sankovitch in OOO “Suntel-M”.

Optics of Hamilton’s camera. ↓

	VAU camera	Hamilton’s camera
D main mirror	100 cm	50 cm
Aperture	50 cm	50 cm
Focal length	70 cm	125 cm
Detector	Foto film	CCD-camera FLI PL9000 3056 x 3056 pixels Pixel size 12 x 12 mkm
Field of view	30 deg x 5 deg	1.65 x 1.65 deg
Magnitude for detection	~15	Up to 18

Zvenigorod Observatory Plans

Participation in the IADC observing campaigns. GEO, GTO survey. Follow up faint objects. Photometric observations. Observations space debris in MEO, LEO (?).
Observing periods- all year, except summer.

Terskol observatory

In 2006 in Terskol observatory (φ = +430 16’, λ = 2h 50m E, H = 3100 m) regular observations of small-size objects in GEO have begun. Main researches are conducted on Zeiss-2000 telescope. The arrangement of the observatory and the existing equipment (CCD-receivers with reducers of focus) allow to find out and register objects up to 20-th star magnitude in the geostationary orbit. Many fragments of space debris, not presented in catalogues are found out. E.g. unknown fragment of 18 star mag. was detected on May 20, 2007 and observed next four nights.

The dome of the Zeiss-2000 telescope at Terskol Peak ↓

Telescope Zeiss-2000 ↓

Zeiss-2000. Focal reducer of Max-Planck-Institute (MPAe, Germany). CCD camera of “FOTOMETRICs” ↓

Zeiss-2000. The images of the detected uknown small-size object (17.5 mag) and catalogue GSS (14 mag). 20 may 2007. (4 frames taken with the 30 sec time interval are composed) ↓

Zeiss-2000. Uknown small-size object, detected by telescope Zeiss-2000 at Peak Terskol on 20 may 2007.
Object was observed on 20, 21, 22, 23 may. Measured ~400 positions.

Mean elements of orbit:

Epoche: 21.05.2007 (MJD = 54241,0)
e = 0.0166364
i = 9.74924 deg
Ω = 330.46317 deg
ω = 208.20954 deg
M = 124.84926 deg
n = 1.004220328 rev/day
Area-to-mass - ~2 m²/kg

Zeiss-2000. Brightness changes of the uknown small-size GEO object (№ 90060) ↓

Zeiss-2000. FLI CCD camera on ↓

Zeiss-2000. Observer’s operating room. ↓

Zeiss-2000. Old and new CCD-camera parameters.

	CCD camera of “FOTOMETRICs” with the focal reducer	CCD FLI PL 4301 in the Riche-Kretien fokus
Aperture	2 m	2 m
Focal length	~6.3 m	16 m
CCD size	561 x 512 pixels	2084 x 2084 pixels
Pixel size	~27 x 27 mkm	24 x 24 mkm
Field of view	8 x 8 arcmin	~ 12 x 12 arcmin
Read-out time	10 – 20 sec	2 – 5 sec
Detection threshold on GEO	20 mag	21 mag

Terskol observatory Zeiss-2000. Plans.

Participation in the IADC observing campaigns. GEO survey. Follow up faint objects. Photometric observations.
Space debris observing periods (available in www.inasan.ru):
- 25 dec 2008 – 13 jan 2009,
- 01 – 10 june 2009,
- 10 -14 nights on sept.- nov. 2009

Размещено 20 мая 2009

Все представленные материалы размещены с согласия авторов докладов