Mixing
Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
Assuming I have a satellite in a decaying orbit, could I gently release leaflets from my satellite so they were on a near-identical sub-orbital trajectory and have them touch-down safely on the ground (or sea) without being destroyed on re-entry?
Intuitively to me the relatively low cross sectional area a sheet of paper would impose against the air (assuming it would naturally orientate itself edge-ways against the air as this would have the least drag), and its low terminal velocity, it seems to make sense to me that it has a decent chance of reaching the ground?
reentry physics atmospheric-drag
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
Assuming I have a satellite in a decaying orbit, could I gently release leaflets from my satellite so they were on a near-identical sub-orbital trajectory and have them touch-down safely on the ground (or sea) without being destroyed on re-entry?
Intuitively to me the relatively low cross sectional area a sheet of paper would impose against the air (assuming it would naturally orientate itself edge-ways against the air as this would have the least drag), and its low terminal velocity, it seems to make sense to me that it has a decent chance of reaching the ground?
reentry physics atmospheric-drag
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Some pilots might be angry if your advertisement for Doritos brand corn chips or whatever got in the way of their flight path-- but I doubt it'd get that far at orbital velocity. Dropping something at orbital velocity then having it slowly decay to the surface is different than dropping something with no orbital velocity and letting it fall to Earth (but I've never done, or seen, the calculations for a piece of paper). Welcome to the SE though.
– Magic Octopus Urn
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
up vote
4
down vote
favorite
Assuming I have a satellite in a decaying orbit, could I gently release leaflets from my satellite so they were on a near-identical sub-orbital trajectory and have them touch-down safely on the ground (or sea) without being destroyed on re-entry?
Intuitively to me the relatively low cross sectional area a sheet of paper would impose against the air (assuming it would naturally orientate itself edge-ways against the air as this would have the least drag), and its low terminal velocity, it seems to make sense to me that it has a decent chance of reaching the ground?
reentry physics atmospheric-drag
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Assuming I have a satellite in a decaying orbit, could I gently release leaflets from my satellite so they were on a near-identical sub-orbital trajectory and have them touch-down safely on the ground (or sea) without being destroyed on re-entry?
Intuitively to me the relatively low cross sectional area a sheet of paper would impose against the air (assuming it would naturally orientate itself edge-ways against the air as this would have the least drag), and its low terminal velocity, it seems to make sense to me that it has a decent chance of reaching the ground?
reentry physics atmospheric-drag
reentry physics atmospheric-drag
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 3 hours ago
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
asked 3 hours ago
James Trotter
1213
1213
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
James Trotter is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Some pilots might be angry if your advertisement for Doritos brand corn chips or whatever got in the way of their flight path-- but I doubt it'd get that far at orbital velocity. Dropping something at orbital velocity then having it slowly decay to the surface is different than dropping something with no orbital velocity and letting it fall to Earth (but I've never done, or seen, the calculations for a piece of paper). Welcome to the SE though.
– Magic Octopus Urn
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
Some pilots might be angry if your advertisement for Doritos brand corn chips or whatever got in the way of their flight path-- but I doubt it'd get that far at orbital velocity. Dropping something at orbital velocity then having it slowly decay to the surface is different than dropping something with no orbital velocity and letting it fall to Earth (but I've never done, or seen, the calculations for a piece of paper). Welcome to the SE though.
– Magic Octopus Urn
3 hours ago
Some pilots might be angry if your advertisement for Doritos brand corn chips or whatever got in the way of their flight path-- but I doubt it'd get that far at orbital velocity. Dropping something at orbital velocity then having it slowly decay to the surface is different than dropping something with no orbital velocity and letting it fall to Earth (but I've never done, or seen, the calculations for a piece of paper). Welcome to the SE though.
– Magic Octopus Urn
3 hours ago
Some pilots might be angry if your advertisement for Doritos brand corn chips or whatever got in the way of their flight path-- but I doubt it'd get that far at orbital velocity. Dropping something at orbital velocity then having it slowly decay to the surface is different than dropping something with no orbital velocity and letting it fall to Earth (but I've never done, or seen, the calculations for a piece of paper). Welcome to the SE though.
– Magic Octopus Urn
3 hours ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
Traditional images of shuttle re-entry show it's belly immersed in flames as it hurtles through the upper atmosphere. However the air is incredibly thin up there, so thin that friction from the air could not generate the heat we see. So whats going on?
Turns out most of the heating space craft experience on re-entry is caused by a shock wave. The small amount of air the craft does interact with transfers huge amounts of energy that forms into a wave traveling with the craft and heating all the air it interacts with.
Space craft have to withstand temperatures surpassing 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to safely re-enter, the flash point (temperature at which something catches fire and burns on its own) of paper is 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's assume we've found a way to keep out paper travelling edge first and this is enough to reduce the heating. What next?
Well we've got a hyper-sonic, incredibly low drag object travelling directly towards the ground. Presuming you planned your marketing campaign right, you've targeted a populated area with potentially kilograms of leaflets.
We've designed them so they wont slow down, what we have here is not a clever marketing campaign, what we have are Rods From God. Weapons of Mass Destruction, at these speeds it doesn't matter that they are made of paper, all that matters is mass.
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
2
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
1
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
Traditional images of shuttle re-entry show it's belly immersed in flames as it hurtles through the upper atmosphere. However the air is incredibly thin up there, so thin that friction from the air could not generate the heat we see. So whats going on?
Turns out most of the heating space craft experience on re-entry is caused by a shock wave. The small amount of air the craft does interact with transfers huge amounts of energy that forms into a wave traveling with the craft and heating all the air it interacts with.
Space craft have to withstand temperatures surpassing 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to safely re-enter, the flash point (temperature at which something catches fire and burns on its own) of paper is 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's assume we've found a way to keep out paper travelling edge first and this is enough to reduce the heating. What next?
Well we've got a hyper-sonic, incredibly low drag object travelling directly towards the ground. Presuming you planned your marketing campaign right, you've targeted a populated area with potentially kilograms of leaflets.
We've designed them so they wont slow down, what we have here is not a clever marketing campaign, what we have are Rods From God. Weapons of Mass Destruction, at these speeds it doesn't matter that they are made of paper, all that matters is mass.
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
2
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
1
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
Traditional images of shuttle re-entry show it's belly immersed in flames as it hurtles through the upper atmosphere. However the air is incredibly thin up there, so thin that friction from the air could not generate the heat we see. So whats going on?
Turns out most of the heating space craft experience on re-entry is caused by a shock wave. The small amount of air the craft does interact with transfers huge amounts of energy that forms into a wave traveling with the craft and heating all the air it interacts with.
Space craft have to withstand temperatures surpassing 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to safely re-enter, the flash point (temperature at which something catches fire and burns on its own) of paper is 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's assume we've found a way to keep out paper travelling edge first and this is enough to reduce the heating. What next?
Well we've got a hyper-sonic, incredibly low drag object travelling directly towards the ground. Presuming you planned your marketing campaign right, you've targeted a populated area with potentially kilograms of leaflets.
We've designed them so they wont slow down, what we have here is not a clever marketing campaign, what we have are Rods From God. Weapons of Mass Destruction, at these speeds it doesn't matter that they are made of paper, all that matters is mass.
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
2
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
1
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
Traditional images of shuttle re-entry show it's belly immersed in flames as it hurtles through the upper atmosphere. However the air is incredibly thin up there, so thin that friction from the air could not generate the heat we see. So whats going on?
Turns out most of the heating space craft experience on re-entry is caused by a shock wave. The small amount of air the craft does interact with transfers huge amounts of energy that forms into a wave traveling with the craft and heating all the air it interacts with.
Space craft have to withstand temperatures surpassing 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to safely re-enter, the flash point (temperature at which something catches fire and burns on its own) of paper is 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's assume we've found a way to keep out paper travelling edge first and this is enough to reduce the heating. What next?
Well we've got a hyper-sonic, incredibly low drag object travelling directly towards the ground. Presuming you planned your marketing campaign right, you've targeted a populated area with potentially kilograms of leaflets.
We've designed them so they wont slow down, what we have here is not a clever marketing campaign, what we have are Rods From God. Weapons of Mass Destruction, at these speeds it doesn't matter that they are made of paper, all that matters is mass.
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
Traditional images of shuttle re-entry show it's belly immersed in flames as it hurtles through the upper atmosphere. However the air is incredibly thin up there, so thin that friction from the air could not generate the heat we see. So whats going on?
Turns out most of the heating space craft experience on re-entry is caused by a shock wave. The small amount of air the craft does interact with transfers huge amounts of energy that forms into a wave traveling with the craft and heating all the air it interacts with.
Space craft have to withstand temperatures surpassing 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to safely re-enter, the flash point (temperature at which something catches fire and burns on its own) of paper is 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's assume we've found a way to keep out paper travelling edge first and this is enough to reduce the heating. What next?
Well we've got a hyper-sonic, incredibly low drag object travelling directly towards the ground. Presuming you planned your marketing campaign right, you've targeted a populated area with potentially kilograms of leaflets.
We've designed them so they wont slow down, what we have here is not a clever marketing campaign, what we have are Rods From God. Weapons of Mass Destruction, at these speeds it doesn't matter that they are made of paper, all that matters is mass.
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
edited 2 hours ago
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
answered 2 hours ago
CyanAngel
1925
1925
2
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
1
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
2
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
1
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
2
2
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
Speaking as an evil genius/marketing consultant, either eventuality is fine honestly.
– James Trotter
2 hours ago
1
1
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
Apparently the last thing to go through your head would be, quite literally, "BUY THIS!"
– Magic Octopus Urn
54 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
The space shuttles' reentry profile was pretty steep though, would the paper survive if it had an extremely flat angle of attack to the atmosphere?
– Dragongeek
30 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
I'm having trouble understanding if your answer to the OP"s question: "Could I use a satellite as a vehicle for delivering airborne leaflets?" is "yes" or "no". Does it, or does it not have "a decent chance of reaching the ground?"
– uhoh
2 mins ago
add a comment |Â
James Trotter is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
James Trotter is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
James Trotter is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
James Trotter is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fspace.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f31109%2fcould-i-use-a-satellite-as-a-vehicle-for-delivering-airborne-leaflets%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Some pilots might be angry if your advertisement for Doritos brand corn chips or whatever got in the way of their flight path-- but I doubt it'd get that far at orbital velocity. Dropping something at orbital velocity then having it slowly decay to the surface is different than dropping something with no orbital velocity and letting it fall to Earth (but I've never done, or seen, the calculations for a piece of paper). Welcome to the SE though.
– Magic Octopus Urn
3 hours ago