# Satellites **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 1, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590 "2003-07-01T15:11:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/41 "2003-07-02T13:19:58Z")
Ack!! I spoke too soon. Bob Mark II disappeared sometime between 9:00 and 9:15. About a 9-hour run, though. I wonder if it’s even possible to attain a perfectly stable orbit? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/42 "2003-07-02T14:41:59Z")
I seriously doubt it. Eventually, floating point error will kill you. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/43 "2003-07-02T15:42:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > \*\*You can get a really cool effect by holding the cursor in one of the corners and clicking like a doper possessed. Keep doing this for at least one lunar orbit. You’ll start with a steady stream of satellites being drawn towards Earth, but when the moon sweeps by, it’ll do some cool stuff. \*\* Very cool effect! Thanks for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/44 "2003-07-02T15:42:50Z")
I finally managed to get one in a low-earth orbit. Let’s see how long it lasts. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/45 "2003-07-02T15:44:47Z")
Crahsed. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/46 "2003-07-02T15:55:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jenaroph \* > Do the satellites affect each other gravitationally? I had five going for several minutes, tried to add a sixth and immediately lost two. In my experience, yes. I had 7+ satellites in orbit around Earth going quite happily along (some with more elliptical orbits, others with rather circular ones) and then I did the mouse-corner-possessed thing and about a minute later they had all crashed into Earth. It’s a _very_ slight pull, but if you get pulled 50 times ever so slightly you get pulled enough. Got one with a period of less than 1.90 seconds, too. Probably only about a second, maybe 1.5, by the time it stabilized. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/47 "2003-07-02T16:18:00Z")
As of 12:15, I have two in orbit. One is a nearly circular near-earth orboit witha period of about .7 seconds, and the other is a highly-elliptical orbit with a period of 31.7 seconds. I expect the latter to crash into the moon eventually. As I was writing this the both disappeared. Of course, it’s not at all to scale. The moon should be about 55 times farther away from the earth than it is. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/48 "2003-07-02T16:19:43Z")
Damn! I have a pair going right now in opposite directions and just realized I’ll lose them when my firewall expires this afternoon, if they’re still going. I’ll have to try this from home instead. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/49 "2003-07-02T16:58:52Z")
How many times can you get one to orbit the moon only? I’m up to three. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/50 "2003-07-02T17:02:48Z")
I got one to do about ten highly-eliptical orbits. None of the others I’ve tried have come close to that. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/51 "2003-07-02T17:04:14Z")
My low earth orbit fellow from last night is still going strong. 15+ hours and counting… ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/52 "2003-07-02T17:10:20Z")
Wow, **Ringo**! What’s the orbital period? And is it a circular orbit? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/53 "2003-07-02T17:36:32Z")
I went to look and saw the crash - 15 hours and 45 minutes. It was a slightly elliptical orbit with a close earth pass, making about 6 cycles per one moon orbit. ---
**Author:** ![Ryle\_Dup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ryle\_Dup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryle_Dup)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/54 "2003-07-02T18:04:57Z")
Wow, I left my computer on and totally forgot I had this satellite thing open… About 18 hours now I think ---
**Author:** ![Ryle\_Dup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ryle\_Dup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryle_Dup)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/55 "2003-07-02T18:09:03Z")
By the way, its pretty much circular but slightly elliptical. During the bottom part of the orbit, its 1/2 way between earth and the moon, and during the top part of the orbit its closer to the earth very slightly ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/56 "2003-07-03T02:10:44Z")
I had one in low earth orbit go all night! ---
**Author:** ![Shotgunhaircut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Shotgunhaircut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shotgunhaircut)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/57 "2003-07-03T04:30:52Z")
I had two going for 9 hours. One just crashed, but the other is going strong? ---
**Author:** ![Shotgunhaircut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Shotgunhaircut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shotgunhaircut)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/58 "2003-07-03T04:56:40Z")
Oops, scratch the “?” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/59 "2003-07-04T14:13:32Z")
I’ve had one going since 7:30 last night. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590/60 "2003-07-04T16:41:13Z")
whoah…whoah…how do you guys get satellites that last so long? How are you firing them off? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satellites/185590.md?page=4)