Recent content by dansmith170

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-breakthrough-coherent-two-photon-lidar-range.html Does this mean lidar is now effective at ranges over a few kilometers? Or does it mean lidar measurements are now more precise? If lidar effective ranges are greater, what would be the current range using the...

What mechanism would you suggest for deflecting a smaller satellite? And would that even be legal? Would it be safe to go around deflecting satellites off their original course?

Thanks for your replies Dave. Part of what is motivating my question about onboard radar systems for satellites is that ground based detection is not as good for xGEO orbits; thus the need for some kind of space situational awareness (SSA) mechanism for such orbits. Most satellites orbit at 7...

According to Space.com "Since the launch of the first Starlink spacecraft in 2019, the SpaceX satellites have been forced to move over 50,000 times to prevent collisions." And it appears that half those maneuvers were in the past 6 months. Does that answer your "why" question DaveC426913?

Counterpoint: "The growth in the number of objects in space has created challenges for the Space Force. These include gaps in the geographical distribution of global sensors that collect data and limited sensor capability for objects in deep space." GAO-23-105565 Perhaps an onboard radar system...

Why can't satellites be equipped with radar systems so that they can detect (and then avoid) impending collisions?

Thanks Bill, I'll see what I can find on NASA's website. I did try to research already, but without many results. I'll take another look. If anyone finds any papers on this topic, please post.

According to Wikipedia Solar Irradiance at Earth's atmosphere is 1361 Watts / meter squared, compared to approximately 1000 Watts / meter squared on the Earth's surface (depending on where you are). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_irradiance). My question is, does more sunlight mean larger...

Perhaps the Earth's gravity could be used as a kind of tether?

I do not have a reference, I calculated power output with Torque x Angular Velocity. Supposing there to be 1 million rpm of the armature, and 10 meters for radius of the turbines, at 10 microNewtons of forces from sunlight per meter squared, that is 9.4 Watts per square meter.

34% efficiency for the solar panels, that is what I meant -- https://www.solar.com/learn/space-based-solar-vs-conventional-solar-how-are-they-different/ Would you say more about the acceleration of the turbine blades, why is 1 million g's a problem?

Okay, solar windmill --> Efficiency = Power out / Power in x100 = (9.4 W / 1360 W) * 100 = .7%

I am not sure if this is entirely accurate. The efficiency calculation you outlined seems to say that efficiency will depend on the momentum transferred. But the energy produced depends on a current that is caused by rotation, where that rotation is caused by a momentum transfer, so I do not...

Yeah, same current (I) in both equations. The current source is, I think, from the mechanical force that is spinning the generator's armature (maybe it is a wind-powered generator). In that case, the generator's armature spin, measured in frequency (f) should determine the current (I)...

osilmag, thanks for your response. Suppose I do not want to keep a constant emf, but I do want to keep a constant torque. In that case, would lowering the B field mean increasing frequency (f) in a way that increases total power output of the generator?