How about this: Just fly your tug in front of the malfunctioning satellite,
and fire two extreme Isp ion thrusters. One hits the satellite and slows
it down, the other keeps the tug from de-orbitting. If you only need a few
hundred m/s, that should be workable.
It shouldn't be able to hit hard enough to break the satellite, and who
cares if the satellite starts spinning?
Thanks!
-David Summers
On Thu, Dec 14, 2017 at 11:46 AM, John Stoffel <john@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Jonathan" == Jonathan Goff <jongoff@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
Jonathan> If the only problem you're trying to solve is deorbit, then
Jonathan> yes there's a broader class of solutions. But if you want to
Jonathan> enable intact servicing as well, you need something capable
Jonathan> of grappling a target. We've been working on this particular
Jonathan> problem for over a year, and while there are still details
Jonathan> that need more work to be proven, we haven't identified any
Jonathan> technical showstoppers.
I aggree, the deorbit problem has a bunch of ways to be solved, but
the servicing model is much more attractive. Assuming you can grapple
correctly, and also provide a service.
I think I saw something in AvLeak where they didn't try to refuel, but
just attached a new attitude control module to older sats with useful
lifetime in terms of hardware, but which have run out of fuel. Sounds
like a useful step until people can agree on standards for refueling
attachments.
Jonathan> ~Jon
Jonathan> On Wed, Dec 13, 2017 at 4:08 PM, John Stoffel <john@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
"Monroe" == Monroe L King <monroe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
Jonathan> Now how big does a tug need to be to make this work for
multiple
Jonathan> captures? And what happens when the tug knocks things off
when
Jonathan> grabbing your sat for de-orbit?
Jonathan> So the tug has to:
Jonathan> 1. match orbit and rendevous
Jonathan> 2. grab the target (how? Big claws? disposable sticky tape?
Jonathan> magnets?)
Jonathan> 3. Impart the proper impulse in the correct way to get the
target
Jonathan> moving into a much lower orbit.
Jonathan> 4. release the target
Jonathan> 5. boost back to a safe orbit, or to the next target.
Jonathan> 6. save enough of it's own impulse to deorbit. Or just wait
for
Jonathan> another tug to come and get it.
Jonathan> So a tug would be one idea, but the capture part sounds
tough to
Jonathan> complete without making it more junk up there if things go
wrong. Say
Jonathan> the tug can't turn off it's engine and just smashes through
the
Jonathan> target? Ooops...
Jonathan> And if you've ever looked at tugs... they're built tough and
heavy
Jonathan> because they bump into things.
Jonathan> I have this vission of the James Bond device which swallowed
other
Jonathan> satelittes in Moonraker being the solution...
Jonathan> John
