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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Satellite retrieval
Message-ID: <4616@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 11-Nov-84 00:07:24 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4616
Posted: Sun Nov 11 00:07:24 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Nov-84 00:07:24 EST
References: <4152@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 20

> Plane changes are notoriously expensive in terms of fuel.  Thus it makes 
> sense to me that the plane change should be accomplished mainly by the
> PAM first stage, since that would mean that the first stage would not have to
> push all the plane-change fuel up to a 22Kmile apogee. ...

The other side of the coin is that plane changes are much less expensive
at apogee, because velocities are lower and hence delta-V for a plane
change is lower.  My recollection is that orthodox wisdom was "do your
plane changes at apogee", but more sophisticated analysis may alter this
rule nowadays.

> By the way, isn't the AKM, in this case, a second stage to the PAM, rather
> than a built-in part of the comsats?

As far as I know, the PAM is entirely a single-stage unit.  The AKM is a
built-in part of the satellite in a sense, although I believe it is often
jettisoned after doing its thing.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry