View Single Post
  #2  
Old December 13th 04, 01:30 AM
William R. Thompson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Latrodectus wrote:

But I would like to know info about satellites. Does anyone
know where to find them?


You can start with http://www.astronautix.com/ which has
background information on almost every satellite that's
ever been launched.

For example, there are satellites as satcom5, which have a
ground track shaped like a eight (8), changing his latitude,
but keeping its longitude. Why??? A geostationary satellite
must stay "fixed" in the sky (I think...). And how can a
satellite have this track? (the same for skynet4 or gstar3).


That figure-8 ground track means that the satellite is in an
inclined orbit. To hold a fixed position over the equator,
a satellite has to be in an orbit which is 24 hours long,
circular, and not inclined to the equator.

--Bill Thompson