[amsat-bb] Re: Can we get them to fix AO-40 first then?

[Peter Guelzow]

Hi Robert,

that's indeed the big question...   We do not know in which attitude the
spacecraft is..  is it still spinning very slowly or tumbling?  What is
the Solar-ß-Angel?
If the S/C has a good orientation to the sun and the battery opens, than
there should be enough power to operate the IHU and Beacon etc... do
some magnetorquing to improve attitude.
Something like this was done when AO-10 was hit by the last rocket
stage, spinning the wrong direction with sun directly on top and almost
no power...
Unfolding the solar panels would give very high power only when they are
oriented towards the sun.  With folded solar arrays, all panels around
the satellite can still see the sun around it's spin axis.
Only when it shines on top or bottom, we will have problems...

73s Peter



Rocky Jones wrote:
> Peter.
>
> In the current configuration (or the last known config) of the vehicle
> does the vehicle have sufficient solar illumination to "spin" and
> maintain the DC busses without a battery?
>
> Robert WB5MZO
>
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