ISS slow rotation
Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Sun, 03 Jan 1999 02:23:50 -0600
Should we look for ISS maxima/minima? A NASA update:
http://shuttle.nasa.gov/spacenews/reports/issreports/iss12.html
says:
> Following the engine tests, flight controllers in the Zarya Flight
> Control Room at Mission Control, Korolev - near Moscow, Russia -
> maneuvered the station back into a naturally stable spinning
> orientation to conserve propellant and moderate temperatures on
> the spacecraft. Called an X-nadir spin, the orientation has the
> Unity module pointed toward Earth and Zarya pointed toward deep
> space with the station slowly spinning a few tenths of a degree
> per second. It is the standard orientation for the station until
> the arrival of Discovery in May. About once each week, however,
> controllers turn on the station's steering jets and maneuver it
> into position to update the guidance system and perform other
> checkouts or activities as needed.
One-half degree per second = 12 *minutes* per cycle; a pretty slow
spin.... Maybe if people see a "flare" it's a maximum from this
very slow tumble?
Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA