Extra drag on ISS ?

[radarredux]

Random question: Will the new solar panels cause a noticeable increase in atmospheric drag on ISS?<br /><br />Side note: SDC is saying that ISS will be even bright now. Might be a good time to look up when it will be visible in your area.

 

[Testing]

Standard day atmospheric pressure is 760 Torr or mm/Hg at sea level. At 220 miles it is less than <br />1.0 x 10 -5 Torr. Not much there to worry about. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mrmorris]

If the atmospheric drag were nothing to worry about, then the ISS wouldn't need to be reboosted an a continuing basis (which it most assuredly does). <br /><br />Since the solar arrays have the largest surface areas-to-mass ratios of anything on the ISS, they will be the primary contributors to atmospheric drag. Yes -- this should make a noticable impact.

 

[larper]

Agreed. The drag should also vary a lot based on beta angle. <br /><br />What I am interested in knowing is, what do they do when the beta angle is 0? If the station stays in the same orientation, the panels will occlude each other, severely reducing electrical output. Does the station do a PIP vs POP manuever every few weeks? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Vote </font><font color="#3366ff">Libertarian</font></strong></p> </div>

 

[erioladastra]

Well with the new solar array the ISS will only fly (except for brief exceptions) in what is called XVV, i.e., the line down the center of the ISS from SM-FGB-Node-Lab will point forward into the velocity vector with the lab/pma in "front". Until 12A.1 when the new arrays will beging full operation they will remain essentially locked with the edges also pointing in this direction. So until 12A.1 they will increase drag a little but not as much as they could. After 12A.1 they will begin tracking the sun.

 

[willpittenger]

What does 12A.1 do? Move the array that has been up there? Couldn't the ISS crew do that? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

That is a very nice set of pictures. Thank you! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>