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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Alternate Energy & Microwaves
Message-ID: <4234@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Aug-84 18:30:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4234
Posted: Sat Aug 18 18:30:27 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Aug-84 18:30:27 EDT
References: <4196@utzoo.UUCP> <369@utastro.UUCP> <762@dual.UUCP>, <3082@ut-sally.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 20

> Actually, the planned space station will be in low earth orbit,
> quite a ways below geosynchronous orbit, which is the most likely
> place for power satellites.  The astronomers would at least not
> have to contend with Earth's atmosphere, but they'd still have
> the power satellites in plain view....

> You are so right.  Note that SPACE TELESCOPE is to be in the *same* dumb
> orbit.  Why? Because it has to be carried aloft by the shuttle....

Right stick, wrong end.  The only *reason* why bright things in the sky
make trouble for astronomers is the damn atmosphere in between!  Any
telescope in orbit, no matter what orbit, is also going to be in bright
sunlight most of the time; little things like powersats are trivial by
comparison.  If the stray-light shield can cope with sunlight, it can
cope just fine with minor bits of reflected sunlight from big satellites.
It doesn't much matter what orbit telescopes are in, so you might as
well put them somewhere easy to reach.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry