Questions tagged [orbital-decay]
The orbital-decay tag has no usage guidance.
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How to compute orbital decay of a cubesat?
I'd like to compute the orbital decay of a cubesat in LEO/VLEO due to atmospheric drag. Here is what I've done:
Based on the Satellite Orbital Decay Calculations document coming from the Australian ...
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What size of a solar sail would you need to overcome orbital decay? [duplicate]
Specifics of the question:
Placed into a 400km 0 inclination orbit
10 kg 20cm cube
Able to orient itself in any direction
Let’s say we want this satellite to be able to indefinitely orbit earth. ...
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How much force is required to expedite reentry of space debris?
I'm trying to understand how much a small reduction in orbital velocity can affect the orbital decay rate of space debris. I understand that there are multiple factors to consider, such as debris in ...
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Effects On ISS Orbital Mechanics Resulting From Added Mass Of Dragon Capsule Visit
Does the ISS require any type of orbital mechanics management once the Dragon capsule was confirmed with a positive airlock seal, and the mass of the spacecraft, 2 additional astronauts, and supplies ...
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Escaping moons conflict with what I understand of gravity
I have known that the Earth's Moon, let's call it Luna (tip of the hat to The Expanse), has been slowly but surely increasing it's distance from the Earth by a small measure each year.
This week I ...
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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 ...
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How much G force is applied when correcting an orbit around Earth?
How much g force is applied to a satellite to correct a decaying orbit if done each orbit? How long does it take to correct an orbit on the average?
I understand there are variables as in which orbit ...
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How long will the Tesla Roadster's heliocentric orbit last?
The long term prospects for the integrity of the Roadster and to a lesser extent its seat belted occupant have been addressed in the answers and discussion below Can I drive Elon Musk's Tesla after it'...
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Is it possible to have a "figure-8" orbit around the Moon and the Earth, and perhaps always face the sun?
Is it possible to have a 'figure 8' orbit around the Earth and the Moon? I'm looking for a non-decaying orbit that will not require significant rocket fuel to maintain, unlike the orbits used in the ...
user20905
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If the moon's orbit decays- how would it effect the moon's phases? [closed]
If a planet passed near the moon and caused its orbit to decay down to earth- how long could it take and how would that effect the visible phases of the moon on earth?
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Why are deorbited satellites allowed a slow orbit decay instead of burning them up rapidly?
In "What are the conditions for re-entry of an object in a (highly) elliptical orbit?" Eerie asks about orbital mechanics of orbital decay of decommissioned satellite: starting with extremely ...
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Why are obsolete geostationary satellites re-orbited above the geostationary belt?
That seems a bit counter-intuitive, because in an orbit above the belt, the satellite would eventually lose gain velocity, so its orbit would intersect the orbital plane of the geostationary ...
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How do orbital boosts affect the structural integrity of the ISS?
I've become curious of this question since my time on KSP, and searches have not rendered much.
In the simulator, building large stations even without the micro atmosphere being simulated, can cause ...
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How do solar flares degrade orbits?
What is the mechanism of solar flares that causes degradation of spacecraft orbits? The kind that deorbited Skylab?
The proton storm is fairly thin, its pressure shouldn't affect the kinetic energy. ...
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What will happen to the Russian messages flash drive?
I saw a video today of a flash drive being thrown into space from the ISS (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35487441).
What will happen to this flash drive? Will it burn up in the ...
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How long can a LEO Satellite maintain its orbit if it loses all power?
Basically if it becomes a rock, how long until it reenters and burns up?
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Why is space junk so persistent in LEO?
From a similar post: How much of a problem is space junk, and how can we clean it up?
I'm wondering why space junk seems to be ever-present. Most of it seems to be in low Earth orbit in the first ...
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Can we see the Russian Progress 59 spacecraft burn up on reentry?
Progress 59's orbit is decaying and it will soon reenter Earth's atmosphere. Will it be possible for observers on the ground to see it burn in the skies as it falls towards the Earth?
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Through what process does MESSENGER undergo orbital decay?
At some point this year, the MESSENGER mission to Mercury will come to an end, as the spacecraft has exhausted its supply of maneuvering propellant necessary to keep it in orbit. It is currently using ...
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Will, or when will, Mars Global Surveyor decay from orbit?
In fact, do we have any recorded evidence of spacecraft at Mars suffering from atmopsheric decay over time? It's well known that we commonly use aerobraking (not be confused with aerocapture, which ...
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Why has Vanguard 1 not decayed significantly since its orbital injection in 1958?
Vanguard 1 became the first satellite to use solar panels as a power source in 1958, when it was launched into an orbit with the following parameters:
654 by 3,969 kilometres (406 mi × 2,466 mi), ...
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