Re: Globalstar flares; definition of "LEO"
Ed Cannon (ecannon@mail.utexas.edu)
Mon, 16 Feb 1998 03:46:35 -0600
According to one of the Globalstar Web pages (text-only version):
http://www.globalstar.com/textonly/system/satellite.htm
the Globalstar satellites will be in a circular orbit at 1414 km
(about 884 miles, similar to EGP's orbital height). That's almost
twice as high as Iridiums, so if Globalstars flare I think they'll
be -- in general -- less bright than Iridiums unless their
antennas are a lot larger. (Right now I can't find on their site
a description of the dimensions of the satellites; they weigh less
than 500 kg each.) I wonder if their reflectivity will be as high
as Iridiums' MMAs? But given their higher orbit/lower mean motion,
if they flare maybe the flares will last longer.
The Globalstar people say "low Earth orbit" is less than 1500 km.
Another definition I read somewhere said below 1000 km. A third
one said anything below geosynchronous! What's the definitive
definition of LEO?
Ed Cannon
ecannon@mail.utexas.edu
Austin, Texas, USA