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"Commands uploaded in the days before will automatically ensure that the transmitter as well as all attitude and orbit control units and instruments are switche
by abpavel 10y ago
"Commands uploaded in the days before will automatically ensure that the transmitter as well as all attitude and orbit control units and instruments are switched off upon impact, to fulfill spacecraft disposal requirements."
Is there a scientific reason for doing this? Keeping the instruments on seems to be a far more logical option, just in case it survives 50cm/s descend.
- realityking 10y agoI read somewhere (sorry, no link handy) that the ITU requires the frequencies to be vacated as soon as the experiments end. My guess is, that they're afraid that it'd still be transmitting but is unable to receive the command to cease doing so.
- michaelt 10y agoAccording to http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070021588.pdf http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/2007002... In 1995 NASA released the first detailed set of orbital debris mitigation guidelines [...] One of NASA’s policy objectives is to control the amount of orbital debris generated by accidental explosions. [...] The NASA safety standard goes on to identify typical systems that should be passivated, [...] electrical power systems, [...] the discharge of all batteries and their disconnection from charging circuits TLDR: Standards written for satellites being left in orbit want to avoid explosions. This means dumping all fuel and compressed gas - and draining and disconnecting any batteries. Doesn't seem all that relevant in the disposal in question, of course; I can't imagine the standard will make much difference to the amount of debris if the craft is crashing into a comet anyway.