ection 4
The tracking of polar-orbiting satellites by direct readout users is now commonly
accomplished by computer—although it is possible to calculate the satellite’s location
rather than having the computer do the work.
One frequently used tracking program, entitled Bird Dog, is available on NASA
Spacelink (see the section for more information about NASA Spacelink), and
the DRIG and Bord e rtech bulletin board systems. This software enables the tracking of
e n v i ronmental satellites, but it does re q u i re that current orbital data be inserted and
that the orbital data be revised every two or three weeks. (Using old data makes it
impossible for any software to accurately identify the current position of a satellite.)
I n s t ructions for using Bird Dog and updating the ephemeral data accompany the
tracking pro g r a m.
SAT E L L I T E TR A C K I N G PR O G R A M S
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