[net.columbia] Westar VI Found in Perfect Health

alb@alice.UUCP (Adam L. Buchsbaum) (02/06/84)

A ground station in California today (Sunday) found the
Westar VI satellite and succeeded in changing its atiitude
so that it could recharge itself from the sun.  Communications
were established with the satellite, and Western Union
reported it to be in perfect health.  However, its elliptical
orbit of 195 to 205 miles renders it virtually useless, and with
no way to boost the orbit, Western Union is calling the satellite
a total loss.

sew@minn-ua.UUCP (02/08/84)

#R:alice:-257500:minn-ua:4400001:000:178
minn-ua!sew    Feb  7 14:10:00 1984

I wonder if a remotely controlled "space tug" could be built and launched for
$20 million.  Maybe the insurance company would be willing to retrieve and
relaunch their property.

stevel@haddock.UUCP (02/09/84)

#R:alice:-257500:haddock:10400002:000:710
haddock!stevel    Feb  8 11:20:00 1984

Think Western Union would donate it to netnews. We could use it
to send mail. Get in a few Hundred megabytes every orbit. Europe
could stop complaining about net.general (personally I stoped
reading it long ago).

Wow a 100 million dollar tax writeoff if we make a non profit
foundation to handle the work. Bet at 200 miles you don't need
half of the ground station you need at 22,000 miles.

So Phil what would we need. Any ideas. I think it is a simple
6-8 GHZ link. Sounds like modified satilite TV hardware.

I'll volunteer a machine to act as Northeast USA gateway.

Steve Ludlum, decvax!yale-co!ima!stevel, {ucbvax|ihnp4}!cbosgd!ima!stevel
decwrl!amd70!ima!stevel, {uscvax|ucla-vax|vortex}!ism780!stevel

tower@inmet.UUCP (02/11/84)

#R:alice:-257500:inmet:3400002:000:286
inmet!tower    Feb 11 00:06:00 1984

I doubt if an altitude of 200 miles is enough for the Western Union
satellite to see the US and Europe at the same time. I also doubt
if we would have a chance at each orbit. Would an aero & astro
type like to comment further??

-len tower        harpo!inmet!tower        Cambridge, MA