Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site wateng.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!wateng!broehl
From: broehl@wateng.UUCP (Bernie Roehl)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: ET barge at VAFB breaks loose
Message-ID: <1601@wateng.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Oct-84 09:43:51 EST
Article-I.D.: wateng.1601
Posted: Mon Oct 29 09:43:51 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Oct-84 00:48:45 EST
References: <271@haddock.UUCP>, <197@mouton.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 10

The other nice thing about a sun-synchronous orbit (in addition to passing
over points on the earth's surface at the same local time each cycle) is
that it can be set up so the plane of the orbit is roughly perpendicular to
the earth-sun vector, guaranteeing that the satellite is *always* facing the
sun.  This means solar panels can provide all the power all the time, and
storage batteries for operation during the "night" portion of an orbit can
be eliminated (at a substantial saving in launch mass and hence in launch cost). 
-- 
        -Bernie Roehl    (University of Waterloo)
	...decvax!watmath!wateng!broehl