Re: [amsat-bb] AO-40 Orbital Stability

["MCGWIER ROBERT" <rwmcgwier@xxxxxxxx>]

Stacey:

Thanks a lot for the information.   That is comforting to know
it is more stable than my intuition perceived.  I guess my
experience base with these elliptical orbits with low perigees
are all with higher inclination orbits where the terrestrial
gravitic imperfections were a bigger factor.

It is still pretty clear that if we recover and do a burn (which I
am beginning to doubt we will do a burn), we will have to be
most careful not to lower the perigee with the apogee burn.

Seasons Greetings and Good Luck to the command team,
Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stacey E. Mills, M.D." <w4sm@cstone.net>
To: "MCGWIER ROBERT" <rwmcgwier@home.com>; <amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org>
Sent: Monday, December 25, 2000 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-40 Orbital Stability


>
> I realize that everyone is "perigee shy" after AO-13, but the height at
> perigee is not  the only factor, it's the nature of the perigee
fluctuation
> that is critical.  For AO-13, it was a combination of high inclination,
> along with disadvantageous  RAAN and ArgP that conspired to have the moon
> and sun pull the perigee into the earth.  Drag was really not a factor
> until near the end of its life when the orbit began to slowly circularize
> and the drag heating eventually destroyed the S/C.  In its current low
> inclination orbit AO-40 does not suffer from these problems and it will be
> around for far longer than any of us.....even if we don't change the
> current orbit.
>
>
>
>
> --
>   _______________________________________________________________________
>   Stacey E. Mills, W4SM    WWW:    http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/ham1.html
>    Charlottesville, VA     PGP key: http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/key
>   _______________________________________________________________________
>
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