3 ms·

I assume a sunshade in space would need to stay oriented as the Earth revolved around the Sun in order to deflect the sunlight. Therefore "take down" could simp

I assume a sunshade in space would need to stay oriented as the Earth revolved around the Sun in order to deflect the sunlight. Therefore "take down" could simply mean disable the orientation equipment.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
sobani 7y ago
That's the magic of the L1 Lagrangian point[1]; it takes basically no effort to stay there and it is exactly between the earth and the sun. Now L1 is an unstable point, so eventually the shades will drift out of position, but I imagine that will take a long time. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point
- rpedela 7y ago
  Staying in the correct place and staying oriented at the correct angle are two different things.
  - sobani 7y ago
    If you make it rotate at a speed of 1 rotation/year, it should stay still at the same angle relative to earth.