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How are satellites powered?

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
51,610
7,258
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My first thought was solar power, but the last I've seen solar energy blows chunks and can't even charge your iPod. I'd imagine batteries and other fuel-based systems would run out in pretty short order...so how do satellites float around and transmit TV, Internet, GPS, and all the other techno-goodness to us earth-dwellers? :confused:
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,402
8,574
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solar energy works a lot better when you don't have the atmosphere in the way, methinks
 

Toastedlightly

Diamond Member
Aug 7, 2004
7,214
6
81
Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Solar or nuclear. I believe the maneuvering thrusters are a fuel-based system.

Compressed nitrogen I though (or something of the such on smaller satellites)
 

sohcrates

Diamond Member
Sep 19, 2000
7,949
0
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big 'ole solar panels

problem is, although they work better in space, they also get damaged / corrode / basically lose functionality over a relatively short period of time because of the harsh environment.

that's why, for instance, XM radio has had to already launch replacement satellites up because their original sat's only had an expected lifespan of about 10 years
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
51,610
7,258
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Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Solar or nuclear. I believe the maneuvering thrusters are a fuel-based system.


They could be compressed gas...

Array of paintball gun cartridges? :D
 

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
205
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Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Solar or nuclear. I believe the maneuvering thrusters are a fuel-based system.

I thought maneuvering was controlled by rotating Gyros.
 

Mark R

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,513
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81
Orbiting satellites: Electrical power is solar. A small amount of compressed gas or other rocket fuel is used for attitude and orbit correction. A broadcasting satellite may have enough panels and batteries to produce 15 kW of power for its transponders 24/7. In practice, the panels degrade rapidly - and at the end of life, the satellite will be able to support considerably fewer transponders than when new.

Deep space probes: Once you get past about mars - the sunlight is too feeble to produce useful power. Electrical power in these probes is usually produced by a radio-isotope thermal generator (usually plutonium 238). The power from such generators is extremely feeble, and correspondingly the transmitters are very, very weak - about the same power as a cell phone. You need huge, incredibly precisely aimed dishes, super sensitive receivers and advanced signal processing techniques to decode the signal once it gets to earth.

I thought maneuvering was controlled by rotating Gyros.

many satellites use 'reaction wheels'. These are gyro like devices, that if the satellite starts to spin in one direction, an electric motor is used to change the speed of the rotating center. Due to Newton's first law, the opposite change is made to the satellite's rotation.

Eventually, the reaction wheel reaches it's maximum speed - when this happens, the wheel is braked - but the satellite is stopped from going into an out of control spin, by simultaneous activation of a thruster that exactly cancels out the effect of braking the wheel. Using a wheel, drastically reduces the number of times that thrusters must be fired, saving fuel.
 

Goosemaster

Lifer
Apr 10, 2001
48,775
3
81
Originally posted by: Mark R
Orbiting satellites: Electrical power is solar. A small amount of compressed gas or other rocket fuel is used for attitude and orbit correction. A broadcasting satellite may have enough panels and batteries to produce 15 kW of power for its transponders 24/7. In practice, the panels degrade rapidly - and at the end of life, the satellite will be able to support considerably fewer transponders than when new.

Wow..that's a lot of power. I wasn't ware of that.
 

Atheus

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2005
7,313
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Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Nuclear

I don't think it's really nuclear, as in fission or fusion, it's the heat from a decaying radioactive substance.
 

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
205
106
Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf
Solar or nuclear. I believe the maneuvering thrusters are a fuel-based system.

Originally posted by: Toastedlightly
Compressed nitrogen I though (or something of the such on smaller satellites)


Originally posted by: sao123
I thought maneuvering was controlled by rotating Gyros.

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
How do you think those gyro's rotate?:p

Electrical Power rotating Gyros, as opposed to the afore listed methods.


 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
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Originally posted by: Atheus
Originally posted by: Electric Amish
Nuclear

I don't think it's really nuclear, as in fission or fusion, it's the heat from a decaying radioactive substance.

I was wondering about that.. I thought nuclear reactors were generally kind of large... and require some human interaction to maintain.