A contest for astropreneurs

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 16:40:19 GMT

There are certainly many satellites in space. Has anyone thought about trying to combine them into a mini space station/sensing platform? Such a platform could be more easily maintained and upgraded by astronauts (working from within) than far-flung satellites. It would be less expensive to launch individual components to an existing outpost than to always launch complete satellites that need their own solar panels, fuel, and orbital support engines. Such a platform could also be more hardened against solar radiation and space debris.

One caveat to such an outpost would be that it would need to be in a much more useful orbit than, say, the ISS. A “polar orbit,” for example, is much more ideal for monitoring the environmental and looking for WMDs, but it is harder to get to. A geostationary orbit is probably the most useful orbital profile given the large number of telecommunications and global positioning satellites. A micro spacestation here could also support lunar excursions!

A contest for astropreneurs

Frank Glover, Rochester, NY — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 02:44:52 GMT

It's not likely. Depending on their purpose, satellites need different orbital altitudes, different orbital inclinations, different pointing and stability requirements. (and most communication satellites must be geostationary, so orbiting at 22,500 miles, at 0 degrees inclination above a specific longitude is the only option) No one station can satisfy most of them. Even earlier space station plans involved several co-orbiting, human-tended 'free flyers,' indeppendent of the station's vibration and attitude adjustments.

A station designed to support flights (manned or not) deeper into space should also be in a low-inclination orbit, but much lower than geostationary, so that it can be more readily supplied from Earth. (The shuttle, with no payload, and maximum maneuvering propellant can't get more than 600 miles above Earth. Future vehicles won't be much better in that respect, getting to low Earth orbit is difficult enough. It's easier to bring additional propellant up from Earth to low orbit, than to try to supply and depart for deep space from a station in a higher one)

A contest for astropreneurs

Jan J. — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:04:25 GMT

I don't know about this appearing anywhere but my grandson has a question: Can orbiting satellites be seen in the night sky from earth?

[ALAN ADDS: Yes, absolutely. That's one of the most fun things about watching the night sky ... seeking a little speck of light make its way smartly across the heavens and knowing that humans put that up there. Sign in at the Heavens-Above.com Web site and you can find out what satellites are visible at which times. You can even see the international space station pass overhead. What a smart grandson you have!]