Exploring the Rings |
Exploring the Rings |
Jul 29 2010, 01:33 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2998 Joined: 30-October 04 Member No.: 105 |
This might be a way for an orbiter to move closer to the ring plane without crossing the ring plane:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00726094749.htm "The late Dr Forward -- a renowned physicist who worked in the United States and from his second home in Scotland -- believed it was possible to use 'displaced orbits' to deploy more satellites to the north or south of the Earth's equator, helping to meet the growing demand for communications." --Bill -------------------- |
|
|
Dec 2 2010, 05:48 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Apologies for resurrecting an old topic (and probably posting on a tangent to boot), but I just had a thought.
Has Cassini done any extended nightside obs of Saturn's equatorial region? Reason I ask is that I would expect that at least some small fraction of the ring material eventually impacts the planet, and therefore there might be observable meteors. Constraining that infall rate would seem to be a significant data point for understanding the rings evolution & longevity. Might even help to derive a size distribution for the larger (<10cm?) ring particles. I don't know if this is even possible to do given the enormous amount of backlighting in the Saturn system from the rings, and you'd probably have to do it when Cassini wasn't in an equatorial orbit. Still, I'm curious. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 24th April 2024 - 06:58 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |