Re: [amsat-bb] De-ORBIT issues, AMSAT, next steps...

[Larry Kayser <kayser@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

k0vty@juno.com wrote:

>Hi Larry and all
>
>I may not have provided enough for you to be sure about my question
>Larry, however.
>The question was born knowing Eagle was the next AMSAT effort and there
>is always 
>experiments needed to be exercised to push the learning for the future.
>This Re-Orbit issue is not my cup of tea.
>However if a De-Orbit devise were small enough to be within a small space
>craft released by 
>Eagle after insertion so that the De-Orbit devise could be exercised
>seperately , it might find favor .
>I could even see ground control causing Eagle to be the trigger of the
>De-Orbit if the two space craft were still close enough .    That might
>make the De-Orbit a secure function.
>
>On the other hand Eagle has lots of it's own problems 
>  
>
OK, well Eagle has to survive becoming real with all the sweat, blood 
and tears that it will take to become real.  Having been part of this 
process a few times I have only admiration for those who can make some 
of these things happen. 

Well, my contention is that Eagle should have the very best de-orbit 
device that can be devised attached to it before it is launched.  
Second, Eagle is going to be a complex spacecraft in itself and I 
personally would not want to increase its complexity by having it 
release another satellite for tests.  Surely we can do that kind of an 
experiment external to Eagle and keep Eagle as focused as we can. 

On reflection of my first sentence above, maybe Eagle might carry a 
dummy de-orbit device that would test electronic design for a de-orbit 
device, and do everything but the forced re-entry.  Once a system design 
is done and examined by the best people available to AMSAT then we might 
better build the package and test it on the Eagle flight, that would 
have maybe real value to both the space community and AMSAT. 

During Bob McGwiers visit here we discussed a notion of maybe having 
Eagle use its cameras to try and grab a picture of another satellite, 
but since Eagle will be in a transfer orbit that is highly elliptical 
that is not likely.  Shortly you will hear of a project to be called 
SWITCH which also needs flight experience and that might be done as well. 

Telecommand of the de-orbit device can be made secure using the system 
that has been in service since the first Microsat back in 1990.  Each of 
the microsats has a "big red switch" capability to pull the RESET on the 
processor when the special PRN sequence is sent to the spacecraft.  
There has never been a failure in one of those so that basic design has 
many years of experience on it already. 

At the risk of putting it in to simple a light, the biggest issue in 
de-orbit is to make a motor that is going to be reliable in 15 to 25 
years or so, that is essentially benign during launch and normal 
satellite life cycle, and can be demonstrated to be effective in reality 
as well as in the rigorous evaluation of the unit prior to launch.    
These are not trivial issues as you can well imagine.  What is needed is 
the recognition that action is required, a commitment to the 
implementation of the process and then the agony of making it happen. 

The issue then is to get such a project "on the agenda" for Eagle and to 
do what is needed to make it happen.

Larry
VA3LK
AMSAT Life Member #3
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