Local Maneuvering

Thinsat displacement acceleration is approximately 10 microns per second squared. Displacement distance without stopping (avoiding a collider, for example) is 5 t2 microns (t in seconds). Moving and stopping is slower, 2.5 t2 microns. We can control the electrochromic thrusters in small increments, and within fractions of a second, so our maneuvering accuracy can be a few nanometers, much better than our measurement accuracy.

time

avoidance

move and stop

1 second

5 um

2.5 um

1 minute

18 mm

9 mm

2.5 minutes

11 cm

6 cm

avoid < 1cm collider

5 minutes

45 cm

22 cm

20 minutes

7 m

4 m

avoid satellite

1 hour

65 m

32 m

avoid ISS scale object

6 hours

1160 m

traverse large array

1 day

19 km

degrees of orbit

3 days

168 km

0.75

1 week

914 km

4.1

30 days

16800 km

75

47 days

40000 km

184

The M288 orbit is 12789 km radius, 80356 km circumference, 223.2 km per degree.

If the wavelength is 8mm and the ground antenna is 1 meter across, the aperture is about 0.5 degrees. So, in less than 3 days, a thinsat can move from one aperture to the next, "moving between data centers". in 20 months it can move anywhere in the m288 orbit. If it tilts and reduces light pressure, it can move faster, tilting back to full sunlight for position checks. This is not spectacular speed, but it is better than most satellites can manage.

LocalManeuvering (last edited 2012-06-19 21:58:01 by KeithLofstrom)