Questions tagged [deorbit]
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14
questions
4
votes
2answers
194 views
Most fuel-efficient deorbit from geostationary
Say a spacecraft in geostationary orbit needs to be deorbited (not very common, but bear with me).
How does one decide when and how long should the retrograde burns be, in order to have started with ...
3
votes
3answers
109 views
Circular to elliptical orbit delta V requirements
this might be a dumb question, but i've been recently trying to calculate the delta V to deorbit a satellite, and I've run into a problem. Assuming a 400km circular starting orbit(and disregarding ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
Is SpaceX propulsively deorbiting a Starlink satellite already?
The plot below shows that most of the SpaceX Starlink satellites have moved from circa 450 km to circa 550 kilometers already, using their argon-based ion engines.
A few, along with four unidentified ...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
Would it be possible to de-orbit a small object by throwing it with human strength? [duplicate]
If an astronaut went on a spacewalk (say from the ISS), tethered him/herself to a relatively massive object in orbit around the earth (say the ISS), and threw a small object in the direction opposite ...
3
votes
1answer
200 views
How do I calculate re-entry velocity when decaying from a circular orbit?
I am trying to find the velocity of an object during re-entry so that I can calculate the peak heat flux but I'm a bit stuck.
I know how to find the velocity of the original, circular orbit (300km) ...
2
votes
0answers
83 views
Could a Soyuz-MS deorbit after a failure of its deorbit engine?
The scenario: A Soyuz-MS spacecraft is on-orbit and ready for its deorbit burn. The crew then discover that there is a fault in the propulsion system and the deorbit engine can't fire. The craft is ...
10
votes
2answers
214 views
Why did the MESSENGER probe get deorbited?
I have heard a bit about why interplanetary probes get deorbited, but that was about Jupiter and Saturn that have potentially life-friendly moons. But regarding Mercury, no life could exist there: the ...
3
votes
0answers
175 views
Where to stream online Tiangong 1 descent?
Are there going to be good free live streams of the descent and if so is there much to be seen anyway?
70
votes
4answers
29k views
Why does the ISS have to be destroyed?
ISS might be destroyed soon, de-orbiting for a controlled reentry into the Pacific Ocean.
Why isn't simply pushed away from Earth to an outer stable orbit (not sure if it's possible) or even into an ...
5
votes
1answer
383 views
For a given amount of fuel, what is the best de-orbit profile for the ISS?
Reading this question, what is the best way to make sure most of ISS (or any other large object planned to be destroyed in the atmosphere) will burn and break into relatively small pieces in the ...
19
votes
1answer
7k views
Why would extra fuel be needed to de-orbit the ISS (if it comes to that)?
The BBC article The Astronaut Fighting to Save our Home in Space discusses “experienced astronaut, and astrophysicist Dr Michael Foale”'s exciting career aboard the Space Shuttle, Soyuz, ...
15
votes
2answers
808 views
Two week mark; has Mayak (Маяк) been spotted yet? Reflector deployed? Astronomy “ruined”?
Deborah Byrd's article Have you seen the Mayak satellite? explains Mayak with a bit of humor:
A team of young Russians – led by Moscow State Mechanical Engineering University (MAMI) – managed to ...
1
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0answers
149 views
Would Mayak's large solar reflector have produced a stable attitude, or more likely start tumbling or rotating?
update: Answers to Two week mark; has Mayak (Маяк) been spotted yet? Reflector deployed? Astronomy “ruined”? indicate that the reflector did not deploy successfully (more at Mayak, a magnitude -10 (...
2
votes
1answer
427 views
Mayak, a magnitude -10 (minus ten) satellite; how is the large, delicate reflector expanded?
The July 14, 2017 NASA Spaceflight article Soyuz 2-1A launches with Kanopus-V-IK and over 70 satellites says:
Mayak is a three-unit CubeSat which was built by Tvoii Sektor Kosmosa – or “Your Sector ...
