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Path: utzoo!utcsri!ubc-vision!alberta!andrew
From: andrew@alberta.UUCP (Andrew Folkins)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: space telescope orbit
Message-ID: <694@alberta.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Oct-85 17:28:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: alberta.694
Posted: Thu Oct 17 17:28:22 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Oct-85 22:22:31 EDT
References: <8510161537.AA16848@s1-b.ARPA>
Reply-To: andrew@pembina.UUCP (Andrew Folkins)
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 22
Summary: 

In article <8510161537.AA16848@s1-b.ARPA> HQM%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA (Henry Minsky) writes:
>
>I am confused as to how NASA is going to win with the
>space telescope's orbit:
>
>If they orbit it at the same height as the shuttle, won't it drag the
>atmosphere and burn up like skylab in a few years?
>
>And if they boost it to a higher orbit, how can anyone get to it to make
>repairs when it breaks?

My guess is a fairly high low earth orbit, somewhere around 300 nautical
miles (Anyone out there know the maximum operational altitude of the shuttle?).
As the ST will be visited fairly often, there will be ample opportunities
to haul it up a few more miles.  I don't think they'll let it get down
to the 150-180 miles that Skylab was at.

-- 
Andrew Folkins        ...ihnp4!alberta!andrew    
 
"Any statements to the effect that this parrot is still a going concern
 are hereby considered inoperative!"