Re: [amsat-bb] ISS Sighting

["Robert Oler" <cvn65vf94@xxxxxxx>]

>From: Bill Bard <wbard@tampabay.rr.com>
>To: <amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org>
>Subject: [amsat-bb] ISS Sighting
>Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 21:02:31 -0500
>
>The large solar arrays are currently aligned so that they are edge on to 
>the
>velocity vector for minimum drag. They have plenty of power so for now, 
>they
>are not keeping them pointed at the sun. A picture of the station is at
><http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/001221update/full.html>. As I
>understand it, the station is moving as the image shows with Unity leading
>the way.
>
>Bill Bard
>
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>

I want to say (off the top of my head its been sometime since I looked at 
the construction schedule) that another reason that they are not using the 
arrays is that the CMG's which are needed to counteract the "opposite and 
equal reaction" of the solar arrays turning are not there yet...ie the 
Service Module would use lots of fuel to do this.

I think that the CMG's come up on the lab module but again ots been sometime 
since I looked at the assembly sequence.



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