[amsat-bb] simple ways to demonstrate orbital mechanics.

[Tom Schuessler]

Hello all,

Several of us AMSATers in North Texas will again be representing AMSAT at
the annual "Moon Day" at the frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field
this coming July 16.  "Moon Day" is a celebration of spaceflight
past/present and future and is also a very large STEM fair with exhibits
from many different scientific and Engineering organizations.  Many young
people including Boy and Girl Scouts are in attendance.  

Since there is such a large youth component to this event, I have been
looking for some fun ways to demonstrate satellites and orbital mechanics to
the people who drop by the booth/table.  There is a special STEM patch that
they can earn by visiting different displays and asking questions/filling
out a worksheet.  I am looking for simple but creative/fun ways to
demonstrate orbital mechanics and also how a satellite like our Fox birds
work.  I plan to build a big poster with images of different types of
orbits, and have already been given an idea on how to demonstrate the
different between a geostationary/synchronous orbit and a LEO but would like
some more ideas.

If any of you have done some similar outreaches and would like to share
ideas, please reply on list or off.  I would appreciate it much.

Tom Schuessler, N5HYP