On the Disintegration of Very Small Satellites

Authors

  • F. P. J. Rimrott
  • L. Sperling

Abstract

Small Satellites will disintegrate, if they find a means, such as a separation force, to do so. If inside their Roche limit they are indeed subject to a separation force, that might be sufificient to bring about fragmentation. It is shown in the present paper that satellite disintegration leads to a reduction of orbital energy. The result can be looked upon as a generalization of the collinearity principle, according to which planetary systems strive towards a minimum energy state, for a given constant angular momentum.

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Published

2019-09-16

How to Cite

Rimrott, F. P. J. and Sperling, L. (2019) “On the Disintegration of Very Small Satellites”, Technische Mechanik - European Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 21(1), pp. 13–19. Available at: https://journals.ub.ovgu.de/index.php/techmech/article/view/1042 (Accessed: 28 March 2024).

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