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/sci/ - Science & Math

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5987560 No.5987560 [Reply] [Original]

/sci/ I'm curious how long it might take for a geostationary satellite to completely come out of orbit, there is not a lot of literature on this and tidal forces don't really seem to matter to anything that far out. I'm also curious what a satellite falling to earth would look like. Would it have a tail like a large meteorite? Would it be recognizable after impact?

>> No.5987568

bumping for curiosity

>> No.5987569

if this thread dies it's proof that /sci/ doesn't care about actual scientific inquiry

>> No.5987577
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5987577

>>5987560

It would probably take millions of years for something that far out to come down, if it didn't go the other way.

I know things closer to earth need a boost really often, the ISS for instance

>> No.5987583

fuck you bitches

>> No.5987853
File: 35 KB, 631x389, Lebensdauer von Satelliten in Abhängigkeit von der Bahnhöhe.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
5987853

>>5987852

>> No.5987852
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5987852

>>5987560
It's impossible to calculate exactly. The Earth isn't a perfect sphere, neither geometrically nor gravitationally (density-wise). These imperfections are causing orbit deviations in all satellites. So much so, that we can't even reliably calculate the exact reentry/splashdown position of an object if the event is some hundred orbits in the future. And GEO satellites also have to carry fuel to adjust their position from time to time. Their service time actually depends on the amount of fuel they carry. As to a complete deorbit, we can, however, give a rough estimate. The next post will show a chart that plots the approximate life expectancy of satellites in years against their orbit height in kilometers. GEO satellites would be in the order of millions or billions of years.

>> No.5987868
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5987868

>>5987560
>I'm also curious what a satellite falling to earth would look like. Would it have a tail like a large meteorite?
If you're talking about a tail then you probably mean comets, not meteorites. Satellites don't leave a comet's tail. They just burn up in the upper atmosphere like most meteorites. Of course the dust and fumes can be called a tail. But usually when people talk about tails in celestial objects they mean comet's tails.