World's Largest Slingshot Threw A Spacecraft To Earth!

Comments · 100

• SC

  @scottmanley · 4 hours ago · pinned

  This story was made available early to my supporters at Patreon!<br><a href="https://www.patreon.com/scottmanley/posts/yes2-longest-170921147?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&amp;utm_source=copyLink&amp;utm_campaign=postshare_creator&amp;utm_content=join_link">https://www.patreon.com/scottmanley/posts/yes2-longest-170921147?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&amp;utm_source=copyLink&amp;utm_campaign=postshare_creator&amp;utm_content=join_link</a>

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• CR

  @CraigCholar · 3 hours ago (edited)

  Back in the 90s I used to be obsessed with visually tracking satellites by downloading their orbital elements and running them against satellite pass prediction software. &nbsp;One of most visually striking was the Naval Research Lab TiPS tethered satellite. &nbsp;As I tracked it in a small newtonian reflector it had the appearance of a rather dim fluorescent tube with brighter pinpoints on each end. &nbsp;I also saw through binoculars a pass of &nbsp;the much brighter, ill-fated tethered satellite that was sent up on a space shuttle mission. &nbsp;I say ill-fated because the tether snapped partway through deployment out of the shuttle&apos;s cargo bay.<br><br>I stopped watching satellites as I got too old to handle the uncomfortable neck positions involved with some overhead passes, plus the software I was using became gradually obsolete over time. &nbsp;Kind of like me! &nbsp;😆😭

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• AL

  @alexdashwood4976 · 3 hours ago

  - How long is your satellite?<br>- Yes!

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• VI

  @victorkrawchuk9141 · 3 hours ago

  A long tether flying through constellations might also be a reasonable criticism of the space elevator concept...

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• ST

  @stuartgray5877 · 3 hours ago

  Tethered Satellite was built at Lockheed Martin Flight Systems. &nbsp;The techs that worked on it told me all about how they screwed up and the reel jammed on the first attempt. ON the second attempt (many years later) the tether did deploy but generated so much more power than predicted, and electric arc from the cable to the mechanism severed the cable.

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• NO

  @NonEuclideanTacoCannon · 3 hours ago

  YES doin&apos; a Roundabout

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• VI

  @victorkrawchuk9141 · 3 hours ago

  &quot;YES&quot;...? &nbsp;They should have called this project &quot;Roundabout&quot;...

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• GR

  @GrantValente · 3 hours ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P7Y5LwKIMc&amp;t=429">7:09</a> This is very similar to the principles of a capstan winch. The This Old Tony channel has a fun video demonstrating the usefulness of this design!

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• MR

  @MrPinhead42 · 3 hours ago

  Once more I&apos;m amazed what kind of interesting topics you come up with! :D

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• ED

  @edstercw · 1 hour ago

  The graphic at the end was worth the wait

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• CA

  @CalgarGTX · 2 hours ago

  ancient world sling users shedding a tear from whatever afterlife they are in

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• T6

  @T6Ber62 · 2 hours ago

  Nice one Scott. &nbsp;You always find the good stuff.

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