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US5183225.Pdf |||||||||||||||| US005183225A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,183,225 Forward 45) Date of Patent: Feb. 2, 1993 54 STATITE: SPACECRAFT THAT UTILIZES Primary Examiner-Joseph F. Peters, Jr. SIGHT PRESSURE AND METHOD OF USE Assistant Examiner-Christopher P. Ellis 76 Inventor: Robert L. Forward, P.O. Box 2783, (57) ABSTRACT Malibu, Calif., 90265 An artificial space object capable of operating usefully 21 Appl. No.: 294,788 adjacent to, but not in orbit about, a celestial body such as the Earth, comprising: payload means for providing 22 Filed: Jan. 9, 1989 useful services from a position in space adjacent to the 51 Int. Cl................................................. B64G 1/36 Earth, light pressure propulsion means for intercepting 52 U.S.C. ................................ 244/168; 244/158 R; light pressure and directing the resulting force to op 244/173 pose the gravitational force between the Earth and the 58) Field of Search ............ 244/168, 173, 172, 158 R space object; and attachment means for attaching the propulsion system to the payload, whereby the force (56) References Cited generated by the propulsion system may be transmitted U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS to payload. The invention is designated a "Statite', i.e. 3,588,000 6/1971 Buckingham ....................... 244/168 a useful space payload maintained by light pressure in a 4,262,867 4/1981 Piening ................................ 244/68 position adjacent to the surface of a celestial body, but 4,325, 24 4/1982 Renner ............... not in orbit around it. The propulsion system may be a 4,728,061 3/1988 Johnson et al. ... solar sailor it may be a solar photon thruster. The useful 4,759,517 7/1988 Clark ................................... 244/168 payload may be the space segment of a communica tions, broadcasting, remote sensing, or any other useful OTHER PUBLICATIONS space system. The invention also teaches several meth R. K. Chetty et al., “Enhanced Power Generation by ods of operating a Statite including polar and near polar Optical Solar Reflectors on Geostationary Spinners', positioning; solar orbital positioning; and halo orbit (C)1979, see Abstract. positioning. D. C. Briggs et al., "Electrical Power Subsystem for INSAT-1", Ford Aerospace, see p. 1, para. 4. 4. Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets FNCDENT SUNLIGHT EARTH-SUNLINE WTATED OFFSET TRAECTORY OF STATITE EARTH ORBIT U.S. Patent Feb. 2, 1993 Sheet 1 of 5 5,183,225 EINITNQS-H1}}\/3 U.S. Patent Feb. 2, 1993 Sheet 2 of 5 5,183,225 EFFECTIVE SUN ANGLE 69 600 500 e 6 ONE YEAR 400 - HALO 3 FLATSOLAR SAILS e 80 1.LUNAR 6 O 50 1 --2 SEC \ 1 RT DELAY 40 1-SYSSA PHOTON 30 1 THRUSTORS 11 - SEC - 1 RT DELAY 20- 1 -TWICE GEOSATIONARY O Of O3 .0 3 M/A, TOTAL MASS-TO-AREA RATIO/9/m2 FIG.2 U.S. Patent Feb. 2, 1993 Sheet 3 of 5 5,183,225 a s - up on in who me amus assa an ump sus oup me as a sa au as sun m up us is o the ens 30 WINTER SOLSTICE - who um amo an as us a map amum em. a ()= -23.5° N SUMMER SOLSTICE C 2 FIG. 3 U.S. Patent Feb. 2, 1993 Sheet 5 of 5 5,183,225 p SAIL PLANE OF HALO M9 ORBIT is eas as so as as -----S$8. CENTER OF ORBIT INCIDENT 503 SUNLIGHT For W2 2 RTH- SUN LINE FIG.5 5, 183,225 1. 2 Technology, Ken Gatland, Harmony Books, 1982 at STATITE: SPACECRAFT THAT UTILIZES SIGHT page 287). PRESSURE AND METHOD OF USE Satellites are placed into various orbits for different tasks. The purpose of these orbits is to allow the satellite TECHNICAL FIELD to remain adjacent to the Earth so it will be useful for The present invention relates to an apparatus and its some purpose. For example, it is desirable that commu method of use in outerspace. More particularly the nication satellites remain stationary over a single point present invention relates to an artificial space object of the Earth's surface, this allows the ground stations whose position in space relative to a celestial object is used to send and receive signals to the communication maintained as a balance between gravity and a continu 10 satellites to be simple fixed parabolic antennas that point ous force derived from light pressure. In addition, the in a single direction. The laws of physics provide only a present invention pertains to an artificial space object single orbital arc, called the Geostationary Orbital Arc, maintained usefully adjacent to, but not in orbit around, over the Earth's equator, at a distance of about 22,500 a celestial object. Most particularly, the present inven miles, where the orbital period of a satellite is the same tion is a space object that comprises a useful payload 15 as the Earth's rotational period. Thus, a satellite placed connected to a solar sail, whereby the solar sail pro in this geosynchronous orbital arc over the Equator will duces a force that allows the useful payload to maintain remain fixed over a single spot on the Earth's surface, as its position in space adjacent to the Earth without being if it was at the top of a tall tower. The fact that there is in orbit around the Earth. 20 only one such orbital arc, and it is uniquely useful for BACKGROUND ART communication satellites, creates a limited resource, i.e. orbital positions along the arc. For various technical The prior art that relates to this invention, lies in two reasons, it is the current practice to space communica general areas. The first is artificial satellites. The sec tions satellite no closer together than every two degrees ond, solar sails. These will each be discussed. 25 along this arc. There are only 180 of these orbital posi ARTIFICIAL EARTH SATELLITES tions available for the entire Earth. This limited re The scientific possibility of launching a device so it source is allocated by an international organization, The remained in orbit around the Earth was first mentioned International Telecommunications Union ("ITU'). Al by Newton in Definition V of Principia. He imagined a location of geosynchronous orbital arc positions or mountain so high that air no longer interfered with the 30 "slots', has been hotly debated by the World Adminis motion of a projectile. Then a projectile, shot horizon trative Radio Conference, which is an organ of the ITU. tally from the top of the mountain would fall to Earth at The geosynchronous orbital arc is most useful for some distance. If the speed of the projectile was in communications between the points in the Earth that lie creased the trajectory would flatten out and it would near the Equator where the ground station antennas fall to Earth further away. Eventually, if the projectile 35 may point more or less toward the zenith. Since the is given a velocity such that the curvature of its trajec slope of the Earth approximates a sphere, and its surface tory coincides with that of the Earth's surface, it will go is provided by geologic processes with irregularities entirely around the Earth and continue to circle it. such as mountains, etc., geosynchronous satellites are Newton desired to draw the analogy that the gravita relatively useless in high latitudes. It is possible to make tional laws governing the motion of celestial bodies use of other types of orbits for high latitude communica would also apply to a body ejected from Earth and tions. For example, the molyna orbit is used by Soviet circling it in the vacuum of outer space at a velocity satellites. This orbit has an apogee at roughly geosyn high enough that centrifugal and gravitational forces chronous altitude over the North Pole, while the peri balanced. Two and a quarter centuries later, Newton's gee near the South Pole is only a few hundred miles. concept was realized by the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 45 This orbit has an orbital period of twelve hours and 4, 1957. Since the launch of Sputnik 1, thousands of requires three satellites to maintain continuous satellite artificial space objects have been placed in orbit around presence within fifteen degrees (15%) of the zenith, the Earth. Today it is possible to purchase commercial over the northern latitudes. Further, since the satellites launch services to place payloads in orbit from vendors do not remain motionless in the sky, the ground stations in several countries, including the United States, Soviet 50 must be equipped with complex and expensive tracking Union, China and France. To properly appreciate the present invention, it is antennas which add greatly to their cost and complex important to realize that all of the thousands of space ity. objects placed in orbit around the Earth fall in a closed Despite the billions of dollars and thousands of man trajectory around the Earth under the influence of grav 55 years spent over the past decades to discover how to ity. Although the satellites may carry a small reserve of provide satellite communication services at high lati fuel to alter their orbital trajectory, all space objects tudes, no one geostationary prior to the present inven currently adjacent to the Earth spend the vast majority tion, had devised a way to provide a geostationary of their existence freely falling such that the centrifugal space communication system other than in geosynchro force generated by their orbital velocity exactly bal nous orbit over the Equator. ances the gravitational force exerted on them by the The trend in communication satellite technology is to Earth. Indeed, the definition of the word "satellite' is build larger geosynchronous satellites that carry more "the lesser component of a two body system revolving, powerful microwave transponders.
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