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> The ballon will also leak. The US solved this problem in the early Cold War for passive balloon communications satellites by putting a chunk of solid volatil
by Intralexical 3y ago
> The ballon will also leak.
The US solved this problem in the early Cold War for passive balloon communications satellites by putting a chunk of solid volatile material inside the balloon, so sublimation kept a constant internal gas pressure. I suppose you'd stick a cheap servo on a door to control the sublimation rate if you need a precise mirror.
Besides, so long as you've already got the expensive sensors, navigation, propulsion etc. up there, why not just keep chucking up backpacks crammed full of new balloon modules for when your old one pops?
- s1artibartfast 3y agoHow many decades or years does that last?
- Intralexical 3y agoI'm sure you could try to look it up— IIRC I think satellite lifespan in Project Echo was limited by drag on the balloon from a relatively low orbit, not depletion of sublimator. But if you're just talking about the sublimator, why wouldn't it last however long you want it to, depending on how much sublimator you put in it? Plastic's pretty airtight even if it's not perfect, and it's not like you need a ton of pressure to hold shape in a zero-g vacuum.