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> many satellites use tape measures for this purpose, literally tape measures. They're called gravity gradient booms. Could you elaborate a bit? What part of a
by ilyagr 4y ago
> many satellites use tape measures for this purpose, literally tape measures. They're called gravity gradient booms.
Could you elaborate a bit? What part of a satellite is a tape measure useful for? How is it useful?
- upofadown 4y agoAn example: * https://tigersats.princeton.edu/cubesatkit https://tigersats.princeton.edu/cubesatkit An unrolled tape measure is stiff so that the satellite/weight system will align up and down. As skinny things tend to do in orbit.
- peterfirefly 4y agoIt's a bit like a keel for a (water) ship. You lower it and the gravitational pull on it will be slightly higher down where it is than up where the satellite is. Or you raise it up above where the satellite is -- same idea. The "tape measure" is a mass at the end of a tether (the "tape") and they are of course not "literally tape measures". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity-gradient_stabilization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity-gradient_stabilization
- ilyagr 4y agoFascinating, thanks!
- iancmceachern 4y agoThey are literally tape measures. Source: I know engineers at Lockheed martin.. Manufacing that tape is a highly specialized big factory scale production process. It doesn't make sense to build a special tape factory just for the 100 feet of it they need for satalites annually. The tape many of them use is sourced from the same suppliers as tape measures for these reasons.