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From: hennessy@nmtvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: how to grab a satellite
Message-ID: <238@nmtvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Apr-84 13:58:45 EST
Article-I.D.: nmtvax.238
Posted: Sun Apr 15 13:58:45 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Apr-84 07:15:01 EST
References: <12110@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Organization: New Mexico Tech, Socorro, N.M.
Lines: 35

<>
>From:  Richard M. King <KING@KESTREL>
>
>
>	Anyone know why the following wouldn't work?  (or whether it would)
>
>	1> set MMU to be inertially stabilized
>
>	2> grab a solar panel of slowly rotating satellite
>
>	3> hold on until satellite stops
>
>	By my calculations (assuming a moment of 500 slug-feet) the satellite
>has angular momentum that would require 10 foot-pound-seconds to stop.  
>Doesn't really seem to me to be beyond the reach of normal human strength,
>even in a space suit (and he's supposed to be an amateur weight lifter).  It
>also doesn't seem likely to me that this kind of force would break off the 
>panels.

Just holding on to the satelite by a human being would not cause
the satelite to stop. Instead the astronaut and the satelite
would both come to a new equililbrium where they rotate with a
constant angular velocity. This new velocity would be VERY
difficult to calculate since the moment of inertia of the system
is extremely non-trivial. I suppose the astronaut could give the
satelite a "shove" in one direction to attempt to slow the
rotation, which would also give him/her a large rotation in the
opposite direction. To get the above calculation there must be a
object to give the angular rotation to and a source of friction.
Both happen on good ol' Earth where it could be done but not in
free fall.

Sincerely;
Greg Hennessy
..ucbvax!unmvax!nmtvax!hennessy