Re: SL-16
LWojack@aol.com
Fri, 13 Aug 1999 22:34:44 EDT
In a message dated 8/13/99 7:21:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Mir16609@aol.com
writes:
> > Probably my imagination but SL-16 did seem slower. Is that
> > possible in such a short span of time, 10 to 14 days. Has anyone been
> > able to get an actual count yet?? And has the tumbling been steady,
> > increasing or decreasing?
I far as I am aware, unless a satellite is venting or some outside force is
acting on it, the rotation period can only decrease. The Earth "steals" the
spinning momentum away. A sort of similar observation is a spinning top - it
slows down, and doesn't speed up unless someone causes it to. But different
forces are involved.
> Ref:
> http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/Aug-1999/0101.html
> 99-039 B 99-07-28 02:11:06.1 JDG 55.1 0.5 100 0.551 2.0->inv
> 99-039 B 99-08-02 01:10:45.9 JDG 55.9 0.5 100 0.559 2.5->inv
> 99-039 B 99-08-02 02:46:09.9 JDG 55.9 0.5 100 0.559 2.5->inv
> 99-039 B 99-08-03 01:39:03.6 JDG 56.6 0.5 100 0.566 2.5->inv
> 99-039 B 99-08-04 02:03:25.2 JDG 55.1 0.5 100 0.551 2.5->inv
> 99-039 B 99-08-07 01:48:13.2 JDG 57.2 0.5 100 0.572 2.0->inv
On 99-08-10 I timed 0:60.845 per flash period. My first timing seems to have
been quite accurate after all!
> I am expecting this one to nearly grind to a halt by this time next year.
What exactly to you mean, "grind to a halt"? Will it have stopped spinning
altogether, or will the rotation rate be greatly reduced to perhaps minutes?