Re: [amsat-bb] AO-40

["Greg D." <ko6th_greg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

If I recall, the system voltage did not immediately drop to zero, but 
degraded over a period of minutes.  So it is unlikely that the delta-MM 
energy came from the battery.

My interpretation is that some more of the propellant left over from the 
original "event" mixed and we had a second "event".  That damaged some of 
the wiring, causing a short and draining the battery.  Without sufficient 
supply voltage, the radios can't respond, so we don't know what, if 
anything, is still salvagable.  I can only hope for a little third "event", 
and an AO-7 style re-awakening at some point in the future.

Greg  KO6TH


----Original Message Follows----
From: "Luc Leblanc VE2DWE" <luclebla@sorel-tracy.qc.ca>
To: amsat-bb@amsat.org
Subject: Re: [amsat-bb] AO-40
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:47:10 -0500

On 29 Nov 2005 at 17:16, Robert McGwier wrote:

   We know from an analysis
 > of the orbital elements following this set of mission ending events that
 > something happened to significantly change the mean motion.  AO-40 is a
 > big spacecraft so it must have been quite a bit of energy.

Can we safely assume that this "something happened to significantly change 
the mean motion releasing quite a bit of energy" can be interpreted
at the user end as an EXPLOSION probably due to the connection of a good 
battery on a shorted one?

That's this side of engineering world i like.. instead of using one word 
they used 13 but the end result is the same BOUM! :). Not really as
there is no sound propagation in space.



"-"
"It is not the class of license the amateur holds, but the class of the 
amateur that holds the license."

Luc Leblanc VE2DWE
AMSAT 33583
www.qsl.net/ve2dwe
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