For those who would like to Track AMC14

[John Kotches]

Still would have been impossible for the shuttle to approach it, it would fly right on by, the shuttle would have to match its orbit to be able to pull along side...

What's physics got to do with it? Oh wait, everything

Cheers,

 

[vegassatellite]

Still would have been impossible for the shuttle to approach it, it would fly right on by, the shuttle would have to match its orbit to be able to pull along side...

They could hire Vin Diesel to go up in the shuttle and then he could just jump off the hood of the shuttle on to AMC14 with a really large gas can in hand.

 

[goaliebob99]

They could hire Vin Diesel to go up in the shuttle and then he could just jump off the hood of the shuttle on to AMC14 with a really large gas can in hand.

Why dont they just send a robot up there! Get with Mitsubishi and get one of their human robots. Send a gas can. useing the robot gaser up, and then have the robot come back in a Lunar Module. Could you imagin how many sats the could save by refueling like that. I think I might just have to come up with a buiness plan.

 

[vegassatellite]

Why dont they just send a robot up there! Get with Mitsubishi and get one of their human robots. Send a gas can. useing the robot gaser up, and then have the robot come back in a Lunar Module. Could you imagin how many sats the could save by refueling like that. I think I might just have to come up with a buiness plan.

I just wonder if its possible to put a satellite up that's strictly a refueler and just bring it to LEO to replenish and then park it back in GEO where future GEO birds could migrate to it and dock for fuel.

 

[MrDogDad]

I just wonder if its possible to put a satellite up that's strictly a refueler and just bring it to LEO to replenish and then park it back in GEO where future GEO birds could migrate to it and dock for fuel.

The problem with that is economics. You could build and launch dozens of satellites for the cost of an orbital gas station. I don't think any unmanned spacecraft has ever been refuled while in orbit. Satellites are generally designed with enough fuel to last their designed lifespan. What usually happens is something else fails such as gyros or electronics.

 

[Smith P.]

Pretty often it happens by unknown reasons , like micro-meteorite strike or high-energy charged particle drive thru a computer, etc.

 

[Voyager6]

Satellites are generally designed with enough fuel to last their designed lifespan. What usually happens is something else fails such as gyros or electronics.

Pretty often it happens by unknown reasons , like micro-meteorite strike or high-energy charged particle drive thru a computer, etc.

The solar panels are also very vulnerable to damage/failure.

 

[Smith P.]

Add a radiation as damaging factor.

 

[mlb]

Add in how quickly their technology is outdated and many companies would rather just build a replacement...

 

[nelson61]

I just wonder if its possible to put a satellite up that's strictly a refueler and just bring it to LEO to replenish and then park it back in GEO where future GEO birds could migrate to it and dock for fuel.

And, I've wondered why they couldn't have a cheap space tug that could be launched to hook and pull errant satellites to orbit. Kinda like the new unmanned Russian supply ship that they started using this year but much simpler.

 

[Smith P.]

It was mentioned in similar thread about AMC-14 - it was a company what proposed to do this repairs, maneuvers, refueling.

 

[vegassatellite]

It was mentioned in similar thread about AMC-14 - it was a company what proposed to do this repairs, maneuvers, refueling.

Perhaps they can build a GEO satellite with a really long fuel hose that extends out to LEO.