Daniel Webb wrote: > Out of curiosity, how far from its original orbit could this > satellite possibly maneuver? I have not been able to find sufficient details on the spacecraft's propulsion system to make an accurate assessment. My guess is that it has fairly limited manoeuvrability, but is sufficiently close in plane and altitude to several targets that it can reach over periods of several months with small manoeuvres. Basically, it would make small manoeuvres in order to create a differential rate of precession to slowly drift into a target object's plane. Once there, it would make the final rendezvous manoeuvres. An operational system probably would maintain a permanent orbital presence only in cases of constellations of targets in orbits of similar inclination and altitude. The number of spacecraft would be determined by their manoeuvrability, the number of different planes and targets, and the required response time. Launch on demand would likely be employed to visit most other targets. Ted Molczan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive: http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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