5 ms·

I recommend the two animations on the wiki page of eLISA, they are worth a thousands words to understand the (crazy!) orbit of this contraption: https://en.wik

• kilovoltaire 10y ago
  Wow, zero-drag satellites are a really elegant idea! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-drag_satellite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-drag_satellite
  • stephengillie 10y ago
    You must see umbrellas and parasols as elegant as well. A precursor concept of a zero-drag satellite can be seen in Stargate SG1: "The Serpent's Venom", where an armed mine from an orbital minefield is brought aboard a shuttle, and the pilot must match the mine's trajectory changes.
    • adrianN 10y ago
      "The Drag-free Satellite", the paper referenced in the Wikpedia article is from 1964, slightly older than SG1. Also, your comment would be much nicer without the first sentence. And if you think about it, umbrellas are pretty neat. The folding mechanism is nifty, if you ask me.
      • nannal 10y ago
        look at this idiot, he can find beauty in elegant mechanisms!
        • stephengillie 10y ago
          It's so beautifully elegant to hold it aloft with your outstretched arm.
• Terr_ 10y ago
  Wow, I didn't think it was possible to have three orbits that maintain an equilateral triangle like that. (I'm assuming the satellites only need to thrust against smaller influences like solar wind.)
• macawfish 10y ago
  If you like that orbit, look into the hopf fibration!
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