Disaster Unfolds

Abstract

The idea of a geostationary satellite first appeared in the scientific literature in the early twentieth century, but it was more widely popularised through the insights of science fiction giant Arthur C. Clarke in 1945. Without a constant source of propulsion to maintain its altitude, a satellite orbiting the Earth must move at a velocity such that its outward centrifugal force matches the downward force of gravity. In low-Earth orbit, a satellite stationed just a few hundred kilometers above the Earth, like the Hubble Space Telescope, will circle around it in a brisk ninety minutes. For the two dozen GPS satellites constituting the global navigation system constellation at around twenty thousand kilometers altitude, the orbital period slows down to around twelve hours.

It is impossible to make real progress in technology without gambling. And the trouble with gambling is that you do not always win.

Freeman Dyson, in ‘Disturbing the Universe’ (1979)