19.1 Attitude Determination and Control Systems Scott R. Starin
19.1 Attitude Determination and Control Systems Scott R. Starin, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center John Eterno, Southwest Research Institute In the year 1900, Galveston, Texas, was a bustling direct hit as Ike came ashore. Almost 200 people in the community of approximately 40,000 people. The Caribbean and the United States lost their lives; a former capital of the Republic of Texas remained a tragedy to be sure, but far less deadly than the 1900 trade center for the state and was one of the largest storm. This time, people were prepared, having cotton ports in the United States. On September 8 of received excellent warning from the GOES satellite that year, however, a powerful hurricane struck network. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Galveston island, tearing the Weather Bureau wind Satellites have been a continuous monitor of the gauge away as the winds exceeded 100 mph and world’s weather since 1975, and they have since been bringing a storm surge that flooded the entire city. The joined by other Earth-observing satellites. This weather worst natural disaster in United States’ history—even surveillance to which so many now owe their lives is today—the hurricane caused the deaths of between possible in part because of the ability to point 6000 and 8000 people. Critical in the events that led to accurately and steadily at the Earth below. The such a terrible loss of life was the lack of precise importance of accurately pointing spacecraft to our knowledge of the strength of the storm before it hit. daily lives is pervasive, yet somehow escapes the notice of most people.
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