4 ms·
Correct me if im wrong, but I would assume that the motor must still be 'attached' somewhere, else the momentum would not translate into moving the satellite. (
by DanBlake 10y ago
Correct me if im wrong, but I would assume that the motor must still be 'attached' somewhere, else the momentum would not translate into moving the satellite. (Wouldnt it be akin to having a gyroscope just floating inside of a satellite- Suddenly stopping it would have no effect on the satellite since it would not be actually attached- ala, the fly in a car scenario) - So, with that, if it is indeed attached somehow, wouldn't the friction component still be at play?
- SeanDav 10y agoIt can be kept in place using magnetic force as well.
- NLips 10y agoBut how have you stopped that gyroscope? By providing a force (through electromagnetism). The force exerted to slow the gyroscope also speeds up the satellite, due to conservation of angular momentum.
- JshWright 10y agoThe angular momentum can be transferred through the magnetic coupling. What I'm curious about is how this system deals with 'saturation' (at some point, you can't spin it any faster...). "Real" satellites do use scaled up versions of this, but they use it to save fuel, not volume, as you still need attitude control thrusters to "desaturate" the reaction wheels from time to time. Having both systems works fine on a large satellite bus, but I don't see it scaling down all that well.
- Gravityloss 10y agoMagnetotorquers are used for desaturation. They are not good for fast maneuvers, so you need the reaction wheels for that. Most small satellites are in low earth orbit with a magnetic field.