Saving energy is silly; the bottom line is money (was Forklifts tip

>
>> On Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 2:45 PM, Frankrd@...
>>
>>> I think you would change the tilt of the craft gradually during 24 hours,
>>> not twice a day in a few minutes.
>>>
>> Fast or slow makes no difference in the amount of reaction mass it takes.
>>
> One would think that it might be possible to extend a boom with a weight at
> the end of it toward and/or away from Earth, where it would oscillate like a
> pendulum in Earth's tidal forces, swinging the station back and forth in
> time with it, consuming no reaction mass in the process.
>
> Michael McNeil
>
Moving mass is surely a way to swing the station. A boom might be
a way, - perhaps a bit hard to implement.

Roller Reefing combines moving the center of mass with moving the
center of radiation force - into opposite directions, which enhances
the impact of the steering moves.
Due to the number of steering foils, fine tuning the steering process
might be a bit better.

Best wishes

Frank