D12 satellite - now we're receiving signals!
- Thread starter jcrandall
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It seems quite odd that they would grant the testing STA and on the same day, the drift STA.
It is also perplexing that the drift STA was filed on 3/31/2010 and the testing STA was filed on 4/15/2010.
I guess we'll see if it starts moving somewhere between Monday and Cinco de Mayo (presumably the last day it could commence the move before not being able to fit within the STA window). If it doesn't, it would seem that they would need to extend the drift STA.
It is also perplexing that the drift STA was filed on 3/31/2010 and the testing STA was filed on 4/15/2010.
I guess we'll see if it starts moving somewhere between Monday and Cinco de Mayo (presumably the last day it could commence the move before not being able to fit within the STA window). If it doesn't, it would seem that they would need to extend the drift STA.
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The drift STA for the ground stations would need to be extended only, since those expire on May 7th! I am sure extensions will be filed next week unless they plan on parking the satellite very quickly into the 103 slot.
The drift was approved to start today 4/26?
or
the approval to drift was completed today 4/26?
The approval is simply granting permission to move the satellite to it's final position. The start date is the beginning of the 30 day window approved to get that accomplished.
They could start moving it today or tomorrow or....?
I'm not a scientist so I'm not sure how long it takes to park a satellite. I'm assuming less than 30 days if it goes as planned.
My guess is that the drift will start on Friday. I have NO inside information, but did see a hint from someone who knows that seemed to indicate the 30th. He could have been joking though.
The approval to drift was granted on the 23rd to begin no earlier than April 26th (yesterday) and end no later than May 25th.
Working backwards based on previous travel time projections, the drift must, in theory, commence on or before the May 5th or DIRECTV will be forced to petition for yet another extension. This last drift petition took 23 days to grant (petition dated March 31st and granted on April 23rd).
Working backwards based on previous travel time projections, the drift must, in theory, commence on or before the May 5th or DIRECTV will be forced to petition for yet another extension. This last drift petition took 23 days to grant (petition dated March 31st and granted on April 23rd).
Looking at the recent TLEs, it doesn't look like they've tightened up the orbit for continued testing. I also wonder if the testing has more to do with maneuvering systems than the satellite's signal retransmission capability.
DIRECTV 12
1 36131U 09075A 10118.09777579 -.00000256 00000-0 00000+0 0 1688
2 36131 000.0800 056.0953 0001898 046.7580 072.2729 01.00271865 1288
The first sentence is fully self-contained -- it speaks to the evidence and a conclusion based on that evidence.
The second sentence is speculation (and clearly indicated as such) about what might be going on instead.
And here's Johnny!!!!!
"ask how much I need you, must I explain?
I need you, oh my darling, like roses need rain.
You ask how long I'll love you; I'll tell you true:
Until the twelfth of never, I'll still be loving you.
Hold me close, never let me go.
Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow.
I'll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom;
I'll love you till the clover has lost it's perfume.
I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme,
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time.
Hold me close, never let me go.
Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow.
I'll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom;
I'll love you till the clover has lost it's perfume.
I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme,
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time.
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time."
"ask how much I need you, must I explain?
I need you, oh my darling, like roses need rain.
You ask how long I'll love you; I'll tell you true:
Until the twelfth of never, I'll still be loving you.
Hold me close, never let me go.
Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow.
I'll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom;
I'll love you till the clover has lost it's perfume.
I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme,
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time.
Hold me close, never let me go.
Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow.
I'll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom;
I'll love you till the clover has lost it's perfume.
I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme,
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time.
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time."
Funny, I read your entire post as nothing but speculation, since I doubt you can read the tle numbers with any useful knowledge.
There is finally confirmation that D12 is moving. The latest TLE shows it at nearly 88 degrees WL.
It's been about 4 months since launch, all I can say is they sure did take their sweet time with this one. Hopefully it is quick once it is at 103, and fully functional.
It's been about 4 months since launch, all I can say is they sure did take their sweet time with this one. Hopefully it is quick once it is at 103, and fully functional.
that tle was completed at like 12:10am tuesday. its traveling at 2.5 degrees per day so close to or past 90 degrees. orbitron predicts dtv12 will be at 103 by may 10. if so, i'm predicting new hd starting may 19.
May 19 may be too aggressive, I think they'll want more than a week to test it out at 103 and finalize uplinks and stuff. I figure closer to the last week of the month.
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