3 ms·
You can attach a wire to an object in Earth orbit and use the magnetic field of the Earth to change that object's orbit over time, as well.
by CompuHacker 6y ago
You can attach a wire to an object in Earth orbit and use the magnetic field of the Earth to change that object's orbit over time, as well.
- lambda_obrien 6y agoThat's an interesting idea, I wonder if you would need a loop or a winding method to get enough counter-emf?
- morlockabove 6y agoThere are at least some proposals that use ionised particles in the earth's upper atmosphere as a conductive elements, meaning you don't need a loop as such- just a wire pointing towards the earth with a big metal ball on the end. Lorentz force means you can accelerate prograde or retrograde.
- lambda_obrien 6y agoI find it fascinating to use the natural things you have available as a motive force, and it's really cool to think all you might need is a few bits of conductor and the earth's own relatively static magnetic field to move a satellite around. I wish humans were less interested in the noisy, explosive things like engines and rockets, and more into subtlety.