Re: Graveyard Orbit

From: Vitek, Antonin (avitek@lib.cas.cz)
Date: Tue Jun 05 2001 - 07:34:20 PDT

  • Next message: Vitek, Antonin: "Re: Graveyard Orbit"

    > "In general, the post-mission disposal options are (1) direct retrieval and
    > deorbit, (2) maneuver to an orbit for which atmospheric drag will remove the
    > structure within 25 years, and (3) maneuver to one of a set of disposal
    > regions in which the structures will not interfere with future space
    > operations."
    > 
    > Option 1 is not widely used (yet).
    > 
    It is used eg. for Progress cargo ships and for the newer types of
    Russian/Soviet photoreconnaisance satellites from Kosmos series.
    
    > Option 2 is typically used for spacecraft in orbits with altitude less than
    > about 2000 km. > 
    
    As exception there were Soviet Kosmos RORSATs with nuclear reactor
    onboard. This type of satellites operated in LEO and on the end of their
    useful life the core of reactor was disposed in a 1000 km circular orbit
    with predicted lifetime of at least hundred of years. On two ocassions
    (Kosmos 954 and Kosmos 1402) this dispsal maneuver was unsuccesfull and
    remnants of reactor ended in Canada and Sout Atlantic Ocean, resp.
    
    > Option 3 is generally used for orbits higher than 2000 km.  There are
    
    But as it is known to me, this maneuver is used solely for geostationary
    satellites.
    -- 
    Mgr. Antonin Vitek, CSc.
    Office: Main Library, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
      Narodni 3, CZ-11522 Praha 1 - Phone: +420(2)21403255, fax
    +420(2)24240611
    Home: Kytin 127, CZ-25210 Mnisek p. B., Czech Republic
    Phone: +420(305)592865 - Coord.: 14.2194 deg E, 49.8488 deg N, 442 m ASL
    My satellite home page: http://www.lib.cas.cz/www/space.40/index.html
    
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