Re: LAGEOS reentry

gr@gr5.org

> Ummmm... Don't they mean the Uranium will decay in 8 million years, and 
> are
> not referring to the satellite??

Depleted Uranium has already decayed so it's not radioactive.  It's very 
dense.  Makes lead feel light in comparison.  It's very popular in the 
military as it makes bullets that go through steel and such.  It's also 
expensive.

The lower the density of a satellite (such as a balloon) the faster it will 
decay.  An inflatible satellite will decay faster than a rock.  A satellite 
with solar panels will usually decay faster than one without.  Also the 
higher the orbit, the longer it will take to decay.  This altitude 
relationship isn't linear - it's probably exponential.  This is because 
there is much less atmosphere when you go another few hundred miles higher. 
So 2X the orbital altitude and you might increase the lifetime by 100X.

Combine high density with high orbit and you have a satellite that will 
decay in 8 million years.  Very quick in astronomical terms but a bit slow 
in artificial satellite terms.

Unless you were joking?  Was that a joke and I just ruined it?  You don't 
have to answer.

- George Roberts
http://gr5.org

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Derek C Breit" <breit_ideas@poyntsource.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 9:22 AM
To: "'JAY RESPLER'" <JRespler@superlink.net>; "'SeeSat-L'" 
<SeeSat-L@satobs.org>
Subject: RE: LAGEOS reentry

>
> Derek
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: seesat-l-bounces+breit_ideas=poyntsource.com@satobs.org
> [mailto:seesat-l-bounces+breit_ideas=poyntsource.com@satobs.org] On Behalf
> Of JAY RESPLER
> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 1:08 AM
> To: SeeSat-L
> Subject: Re: LAGEOS reentry
>
>
>  On 8/30/2010 5:08 PM, Dale Ireland wrote:
>> Any speculation on what the reentry would be like or look like for an
>> object like this? Uranium has a pretty high melting point of over 1100
>> C. 2ft sphere weighing over 1000lbs. Dale
>
> We'll have to watch for it in 8.4 million years.
>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> On 8/27/2010 5:01 PM, Dale Ireland wrote:
>>>> Has anyone seen the LAGEOS 1?
>> It is 5000km out and only 2ft across with corner reflectors. Made of
>> depleted Uranium it weighs half a ton and will not decay for 8.4
>> million years.
>>
>> I saw it back in Oct. 1994.
>> Mag 11.0
>>
>> --
>> Jay Respler
>
> -- 
> Jay Respler
> ADVANCED BUSINESS MACHINES CO.
> 732-431-1464
> --
>             JRespler@superlink.net
> SKY VIEWS&  TYPEWRITERS ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA
>        http://uweb.superlink.net/jrespler
>              Freehold, New Jersey
>
>
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