Countering light pressuon powe satellites. Forum: SSI-List
Thread: Countering light pressuon powe satellites.
# 22371 byArthur Smith on April 16, 2009, 11:44 a.m.
Member since 2022-08-22
I don't think the fact that the force is pretty much constant away from
the Sun matters, because the satellite is orbiting the Earth. The
satellite is still gravitationally bound to the Earth, so the light
pressure force is in a way acting on the Earth-satellite system. Its
direct effect is an essentially constant force on the satellite; on the
other hand the satellite will also see gravitational forces from the
Moon that are not that much smaller than the light-pressure force you're
considering, which will also have a similar steady direction on a daily
basis (though rotating around once a month in the case of the Moon).
isn't obvious to me right now...
Arthur