[amsat-bb] Re: Less than lightening Results

[Nigel Gunn G8IFF/W8IFF]

Sebastian wrote:

> 
> What makes AO-7 so special? 

We're all sentimental.


  Why is it that we lost AO-10, AO-13 and
> all the others in the past several years, yet this one is still  
> working? 

Different faults have different characteristics. This one lost it's battery which is now open circuit allowing the 
satellite to operate from solar cells when it's in sunlight.


  I know the batteries are dead, but I'm primarily interested
> in how this bird is able to stay in it's orbit for over 30 years?  And  
> if it's orbit is decaying, how is it that it has apparently decayed so  
> slowly?

Most of the dead sats are still in orbit and being tracked. It's in a higher orbit than most amateur sats and, like all 
the others in a similar orbit, will take many tens of years to re-enter.

> 
> I was under the impression that unless a satellite is occasionally  
> 'boosted', it will eventually re-enter? 

Yes, but the higher the orbit, the longer will be "eventually"


  I somehow doubt AO-7 has any
> fuel left in it's boosters; if it had any.

AO7, like most amateur satellites, never had any boosters.



-- 
Nigel A. Gunn,  1865 El Camino Drive, Xenia, OH 45385-1115, USA.  tel +1 937 825 5032
Amateur Radio G8IFF W8IFF (was KC8NHF),  e-mail nigel at ngunn.net       www  http://www.ngunn.net
Member of  ARRL, GQRP #11396, QRPARCI #11644, SOC #548,  Flying Pigs QRP Club International #385,
            Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA LM-1691,  AMSAT-UK, MKARS,  ALC, GCARES, XWARN