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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Powersats
Message-ID: <7312@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Nov-86 14:33:59 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7312
Posted: Tue Nov 11 14:33:59 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Nov-86 14:33:59 EST
References: <8611032037.AA00701@s1-b.arpa> <7278@utzoo.UUCP>, <1310@ttrdc.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 16

> >(b) the powersat beam is there day and night and largely ignores clouds.)
> 
> There day and NIGHT?  Where does it get its night power (I am presuming
> a solar power source)?  It would have to be in a pretty durn high orbit
> ( :-), and synchronous orbits are kinda low, aren't they? ) for the earth
> not to block the sun from the powersat at night!

Clarke (geosynchronous) orbit is 40000 km up; for much of the year, the
tilt of the Earth's axis means that the Earth's shadow misses Clarke orbit
completely.  In spring and fall there will be a few weeks when there is
a short interruption in the power feed at local midnight, as the satellite
passes through the Earth's shadow.  This will need to be planned for, but
midnight is not a time of high power demand.  Otherwise, no problem.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry