3 ms·
Electromagnetic tethers can do this, in an environment with a magnetic field. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_te
by rout39574 6y ago
Electromagnetic tethers can do this, in an environment with a magnetic field.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether
- mrfusion 6y agoHow far away from earth can the operate? Do these only work in low earth orbit or higher orbits too? This would be a cool concept for a solar powered space tug. Just goes to leo and picks up a payload and boosts to geo. Then comes back for the next one. No consumables at all. Just a big solar array and giant wire.
- marcosdumay 6y agoGEO is well within the Earth's magnetosphere, so the question is more "how well does it work at GEO" and not whether it works at all. AFAIK, nobody has managed to make it work well enough to use it at LEO, so nobody will give you an answer to that.
- mlindner 6y agoGiven that no one is really trying to use them, I think there's some aspect that make them not very practical, like for example the weight required is so high that they can't counteract atmospheric drag. Also you linked the wrong article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrodynamic_tether https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrodynamic_tether