GGA Web Page GGA Discussion Forums GGA Forums Geocaching Stories: Success or Failure Oldest GPS satellite being prepared for disposal
GGA Discussion Forums GGA Forums Geocaching Stories: Success or Failure Oldest GPS satellite being prepared for disposal|
Go
|
New
|
Find
|
Notify
|
Tools
|
Reply
|
|
Geocacher |
It was announced today by Air Force News that the oldest GSP satellite is being prepared for disposal. Oldest GPS satellite being prepared for disposal
Here is my Eulogy to SVN-15: When I put out to outer space Not knowing my true worth I went to war and home again Then guiding travelers as they traverse Let no one whine or shed a tear As all my lights go out My work is done and over now As I turn once again toward Earth... This message has been edited. Last edited by: Big Rick, |
||
|
|
Geocacher |
16 years of going round-and-round the earth. Now that's a Travel Bug.
I assume "disposal orbit" means they are going to bring it down into the atmosphere and it will burn up. Either that or we will need a titanium umbrella. |
|||
|
Geocacher |
The Air Foce says it will effect a "disposal orbit" on the sat.
--- QUOTE from Slate article--- According to regulations from the Federal Communications Commission, any satellite in geosynchronous orbit—i.e., at an altitude of just under 36,000 kilometers—must be moved farther away from the Earth at the end of its useful life. A complicated formula determines how high the satellite must go to reach a suitable "disposal orbit," but most end up about 300 km above where they started. --- END QUTE --- My GPSr is Trans-Portable and has a Ford Ranger mounted to it. |
|||
|
Neutiquam erro. |
GPS satellites aren't in geosynchronous orbits. They are in medium Earth orbit, about 11,000 nautical miles above Earth. As for GPS disposal orbits they are about 500 kilometers higher than the altitude of the GPS constellation. One reason they don't bring them down low enough to burn up is because that would require a lot more fuel than the amount to lift them a few hundred miles.
-----  |
|||
|
|
Geocacher |
I guess I need to change the last line to "As I turn once again toward Space..." |
|||
|
|
Geocacher |
My bad.
My GPSr is Trans-Portable and has a Ford Ranger mounted to it. |
|||
|
|
Geocacher |
Now I see, "disposal orbit" is gov-speak for just leaving all this stuff up there. So I guess all those cans and bottles littering the highway were put into a "disposal trajectory"?
|
|||
|
Raconteur |
Before we get into all sorts of “space pollution”, “evil governments”, etc. lets try to take Allen’s numbers and one of mine, put them in one common unit and look at a little simple math and put this in context.
The approximate radius of the earth = 3500 nautical miles Present satellites are at 11000 nautical miles (approximately) Disposal orbits are approximately 500 km or approximately 270 nautical miles higher. The surface area of a sphere is 4(pi)r^2 Surface of earth 4*pi*3500^2=154,000,000 square nautical miles Surface of the sphere at the disposal orbit= 4*pi*(3500+11,000+270)^2=2,740,000,000 square nautical miles. Ratio between two 17.5 approximately So, we can’t find Jimmy Hoffa or Osama on the surface of the earth. Why would be worried about debris on the surface of a sphere 17.5 times larger than the surface of the earth? I have heard of schemes to send our garbage into outer space! As long as our population continues to grow exponentially, we are going to have serious pollution problems. that which does not destroy you, makes you stronger - nietszche |
|||
|
|
Neutiquam erro. |
Of course Norad tracks everything in orbit that 2 inches or greater in diameter.
Also per the article the orbits of satellites in disposal orbits are not completely stable and tend to change, and in the future could pose a threat to operational satellites. ----- |
|||
|
|
Geocacher |
Well I doubt that ole Jimmy is likely to smack into a satellite (or my great grandson's space buggy) at a speed of 20,000 mph. And the concept that the space around the earth is an unlimited resource is similar to the concept a few decades ago that the earth's oceans were an unlimited resource. Given enough time, and some financial incentive, we humans could screw-up just about anything. |
|||
|
|
Geocacher |
Nasty George thanks so much for the information and the 154 vs 2,740 million square nautical miles is significant. What significance is it that the orbit of these satellites will not stay circular and will tend to change to elliptical over time? Also the fact that the satellites are moving and not standing still, they cover a significantly larger amount of space over time than an object that is standing still. Items put in motion in space tend to stay in motion -until they hit something..Oh well just a thought. Anyone want to go into the space salvage business? This message has been edited. Last edited by: Big Rick, |
|||
|
Geocacher |
There was a TV Series back in 1979 with Andy Griffith called "Salvage 1". |
|||
|
|
Neutiquam erro. |
|
|||
|
| Previous Topic | Next Topic | powered by eve community |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
|||
| Site | GGA Discussion Forums | ||
| Servlet | eve2da015 | ||
| Version | 1.2.22 build 9062 | ||
| Module | Forums 4.0.3 | ||
| Stylesheet | "GGA Style 2" | ||
| Wordlet Set | "Default Wordlet Set" | ||
|
GGA Web Page GGA Discussion Forums GGA Forums Geocaching Stories: Success or Failure Oldest GPS satellite being prepared for disposal
GGA Discussion Forums GGA Forums Geocaching Stories: Success or Failure Oldest GPS satellite being prepared for disposalCopyright GGA 2006
"Signal" frog Graemlins are Copyright (C) 2003 Groundspeak, Inc. Used with permission.
"Signal" frog Graemlins are Copyright (C) 2003 Groundspeak, Inc. Used with permission.