Questions tagged [deorbit]
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18
questions
4
votes
1answer
102 views
Can you accurately control the reentry point by deorbiting with ion propulsion?
With decaying orbits, the point of reentry depends heavily on solar activity, and is very hard to predict or control.
When there are things that could survive reentry and potentially be harmful, or ...
3
votes
0answers
40 views
Second derivative of mean motion as indicator of deorbit
I noticed that the second derivative of mean motion (SDMM) is non-zero for only a small percentage of the NORAD catalog. All those objects I checked have reentered since the TLEs I was using were ...
3
votes
1answer
102 views
What fraction of Terminator Tape™'s drag comes from interaction with Earth's magnetic field as a function of altitude? Is it ever important?
This answer states that Terminator Tape™ uses the Earth's magnetic field to generate drag to shorten the deorbit time of a spacecraft in LEO. It links to https://sst-soa.arc.nasa.gov/12-passive-...
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Why is “Terminator Tape” electrically conductive?
A 230 foot long tape deployed from the satellite Prox-1 greatly reduced how long it took to deorbit. The tape was described as electrically conductive.
Was that property intended to help the ...
4
votes
2answers
220 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
288 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
54 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
346 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
88 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
223 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
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0answers
176 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?
69
votes
4answers
30k 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
398 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
8k 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, Mir, and ISS, ...
15
votes
2answers
841 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
vote
0answers
152 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
440 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 ...
