Earth based observations of the STS-11 space shuttle mission on orbit and during reentry

While much of what is known about the performance of spacecraft in flight is learned by monitoring telemetry data streams, this paper describes some unique observations made with ground-based astronomical equipment, done in conjunction with the tenth flight of the U.S. Space Shuttle. The study had two main objectives: to test the ability of low-cost, low-light-level television equipment to monitor satellites in orbit, and to attempt visual and photographic observation of the reentry characteristics of a Space Shuttle Orbiter. Both efforts met with considerable success and are described herein.