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From: Lynn.es@Xerox.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Oberth Wheels
Message-ID: <12112@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Apr-84 13:40:48 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12112
Posted: Mon Apr  9 13:40:48 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 00:52:20 EST
Lines: 11

Information I recently saw says that the Amateur Space Telescope, going
up in a couple of years, and being built mostly by Rensselaer (RPI),
will use reaction (Oberth) wheels.  They concluded that it was the only
way to build it for kilobucks instead of megabucks.  It also has the
advantage of running off electric power from a rather small solar panel,
and so needs to carry no fuel.  It will have four wheels, one a spare to
stand in for any failure.  They are using magnetic bearings and expect
very small fraction of a second of arc pointing error.  I think the
bearings are the unproven technology in the design, but they will be
tested in space before being used on the telescope.
/Don Lynn