Geosynchronous Orbits + Geostationary Orbits.
Webster's dictionary defines a Geostationary orbit as of, relating to, or being a.
satellite that travels above Earth's equator from west to east at an altitude of.
approximately 35,900 kilometers (22,300 miles) and at a speed matching that of Earth's.
rotation, thus remaining stationary in relation to Earth. 2. Of, relating to, or being the.
orbit of such a satellite. In plain English, a satellite matches the earth's rotation making it.
seemingly hover over one spot of the globe enabling coverage of half the earth's surface. .
Three such satellites, appropriately spaced longitudinally, have worldwide coverage.
except for relatively small areas over the poles. Three main classes are typically placed.
into a GSO: Communications, missile early warning, and navigational satellites. The uses.
are unlimited ranging from commercial use to weather forecasts! .
The GSO originated in the mid-1970's. The U.S. Air Force designed a two-stage.
interim upper stage (later renamed inertial upper stage, or IUS) to carry satellites.
weighing as much as 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) from the shuttle to Geostationary orbit,.
and a three-stage version for boosting NASA' s space probes from the shuttle into.
interplanetary trajectories. IUS development problems, however, prompted NASA in the.
early 1980' s to design a widebody version of the Centaur upper stage to replace.
the three-stage IUS.
In its first use (1983) aboard the shuttle, the IUS's second-stage nozzle burned.
through and left the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-1) in a useless orbit.
Ground controllers were able to use the satellite's onboard thrusters to put it in the.
proper Geostationary orbit over a period of weeks, but the IUS was grounded until the .
nozzle problem was resolved.
Because the IUS was too large and expensive for most satellites going.
to Geostationary orbit, McDonnell Douglas developed the payload assist module, a.
