[amsat-bb] Re: spaceflight(launch) question

[w7lrd@comcast.net]

DITTO bob 
W7LRD

--
"if this were easy, everyone would be doing it"

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Auke de Jong, VE6PWN" <sparkycivic at shaw.ca> 

> I was wondering... An question just occured to me that I couldn't answer: If a 
> small satellite were hand-launched from the space station, and it contained an 
> ion-drive motor powered by electricity, would it ever be able to accelerate in 
> order to gain a higher orbit, or would that require an impracically large power 
> supply/engine? In other words, could that method be used to achieve higher 
> orbits with communication/ham class satellites without having to use the typical 
> large rocket we've been using all this time? Also, would there be a 
> cost-advantage to this method? 
> 
> 
> Auke de Jong 
> VE6PWN 
> DO33go 
> Edmonton, AB 
> 
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