Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!daemon From: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Retrieving Westar/Palapa Message-ID: <5539@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Thu, 9-Feb-84 10:09:21 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.5539 Posted: Thu Feb 9 10:09:21 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 11-Feb-84 05:58:54 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Western Research Lab, Los Altos, CA Lines: 27 From: dvinci::fisher (Burns Fisher, MRO3-1/E13, 231-4108) One thing I haven't seen mentioned here in the discussions about having a shuttle flight pick up the errant satellites...they are spinning! From the looks of it on the news it must be in the 10s of RPMs. Since the things are spun up on a turntable in the shuttle bay, and since they are intended to remain spinning for their entire useful life, I assume they would not have roll control jets to "despin" them. That would back it very difficult to grab them at all, say nothing of grabbing them without smashing the solar cells, antennae, etc which are around the outside. What I did wonder about, though, is whether it would be practical at the end of the mission to do a rendezvous with one of them and take pictures to help the failure review boards. Does the orbiter have enough OMS fuel to make even a fast pass without matching orbits? Burns UUCP: ... decvax!decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher or ...allegra!decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher or ... ucbvax!decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher ARPA: decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher@Berkeley or decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher@SU-Shasta