Hmm…Assuming that it IS the remains of Molniya 3-51…
1.) Molniya orbits are HIGHLY elliptical, highly inclined, and have an orbital period of one half day. This is so that they spend long periods of time during the high parts of their orbits above high latitudes. This is because it is difficult to get a signal to geosynchronous satellites at high latitudes because they are low in the sky.
2.) the lower part of their orbit is on the opposite side of the Earth from where they spend all their time. Since the Southern Indian ocean probably isn’t that critical a point of interest for the Russians. (Diego Garcia should be easily observable from a more normal orbit) I have to assume that during earlier orbits, drag through the upper atmosphere has decayed the orbit enough that the perigee has shifted from the South Atlantic
ed to add. Of course since they have an orbital period of 12 hours, their ground track has two apogees and two perigees. And both perigees are over one hemisphere and both apogees are over the other. Atmospheric drag at perigee would not tend to change that, although each pass would lower the apogee more than the perigee, and decrease the total period of the orbit, making the ground track vary between each orbit. So never mind my previous part 2.)
