So...
The US has a broken spy satellite, and it has been decided that we are going to shoot it down before it crashes back to earth. Maybe someone can answer this question for me: Since we can use the shuttle to deploy satellites, why can't we use it to retrieve one? I'm not saying it would be easy - "While you're out, just stop by and grab the broken satellite will ya'?" - But couldn't it be done?
posted by Roger C. @ 2/14/2008 12:11:00 PM
4 Comments:
It would depend on its orbit. The shuttle's maximum range is about 520 nautical miles up (and that only applies to Endeavor - the older shuttles have a lower range.) Satellites, however, are frequently well beyond that. For instance, geosynchronous orbit - where the satellite appears to remain stationary over a fixed point on the ground - is 22,500 miles. A spy satellite would obviously not be in geosynch orbit, but it would likely be well outside of the shuttle's range.
In addition, a straight-forward cost-benefit analysis rather quickly shows that sending up the shuttle is perhaps the single least efficient way to get the satellite down.
It costs about $450M to launch the shuttle, and if it is determined that the satellite is broken beyond repair - if they are essentially going to "total" it anyway - then a shuttle mission to retrieve it would be a waste.
Also, consider that shuttle missions put the astronauts' lives in danger and that astronaut time in space is perhaps NASA's biggest - and most expensive - asset. On average, NASA is launching between 2 and 3 shuttle missions per year. Every time they have tried to push that up, it has ended rather badly. If there was a possibility that the satellite could be repaired - and assuming that it was in the shuttle's range - then maybe they'd go for it. But to just bring it down? Hardly worth it.
Besides Rob's clear and excellent points, the satellite in question was never meant to be retrieved. I doubt it's solar panels, antennae, etc., were designed to retract. The satellite might not even fit in the shuttle's cargo bay, spacious as it is.
Even Hubble --a satellite that IS designed to fit in the shuttle's cargo bay-- isn't worth the cost and risk of retrieving.
Because then we would not be able to use our guns and missiles to shoot them down... dummy.
Not to mention the fact that, if the sattelite were to plummet to earth and was fortunate enough to land where it would not hurt anyone, there's the uncomfortable possibility that top-secret technology my survive the impact and fall into the wrong hands.
Would we really want Russia/China/Iran/North Korea to know how our spy sattelites work?
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