Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!hplabs!hplabsb!dsmith
From: dsmith@hplabsb.HP.COM (David Smith)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Canada and comsat history
Message-ID: <4990@hplabsb.HP.COM>
Date: 14 Nov 88 16:56:44 GMT
References: <1988Oct28.180827.25578@utzoo.uucp> <2074@kalliope.rice.edu> <1844@garth.UUCP> <3473@vpk4.UUCP> <1988Nov13.062139.1075@utzoo.uucp>
Reply-To: dsmith@hplabsb.UUCP (David Smith)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Labs, Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 18

In article <1988Nov13.062139.1075@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>Syncom II (dunno what happened to Syncom I, launch failure?) was the first
>more-or-less Clarke-orbit comsat, 

Telemetry from Syncom 1 ceased 20 seconds into its apogee burn.  It was
later optically found in nearly its correct orbit, with a 23h 45min
period.  So it was the first more-or-less Clarke-orbit satellite, albeit
dead.  Best guess was that the vibration of the motor killed the power
supply.

Syncom 2's orbit had an inclination of 30 degrees, with an initial 23:46
period.  It maneuvered into position and corrected the orbit to 24 hours.
Syncom 3 was the first synchronous, equatorial-plane comsat.
-- 

			David Smith
			HP Labs
			dsmith@hplabs.hp.com