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To: BurbankKarl

How do these satellites normally return to Earth?


56 posted on 02/14/2008 9:46:23 AM PST by Brian S. Fitzgerald ("We're going to drag that ship over the mountain.")
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To: Brian S. Fitzgerald
How do these satellites normally return to Earth?

Normally, they fire their engines to put them on a re-entry trajectory that assures a shallow path, plenty of time to burn up, with the remaining pieces landing in the south Pacific. This time, the central computer failed and its trajectory can't be controlled.

63 posted on 02/14/2008 9:52:38 AM PST by ReignOfError
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To: Brian S. Fitzgerald
How do these satellites normally return to Earth?

They usually have enough fuel to control the decay to maximize destruction during burn-up and send the surviving pieces somewhere into the Pacific Ocean.
64 posted on 02/14/2008 9:52:44 AM PST by plsvn
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To: Brian S. Fitzgerald
How do these satellites normally return to Earth?

V < Ve

116 posted on 02/14/2008 12:32:14 PM PST by sam_paine (X .................................)
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