Discussion
Ask a question about 'Areostationary orbit' Start a new discussion about 'Areostationary orbit' Answer questions from other users |
An
areostationary orbit is a circular
areosynchronous orbitAreosynchronous orbits are class of synchronous orbits for artificial satellites around the planet Mars. As with all synchronous orbits, an areosynchronous orbit has an orbital period equal in length to Mars' sidereal day...
in the
MartianMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
equatorial planeAn equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
about 17000 km (10,563.3 mi) above the surface, any point on which revolves about Mars in the same direction and with the same
periodThe orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
as the Martian surface. Although no artificial satellites have been placed so far in this orbit, it is of interest to some scientists foreseeing a future
telecommunications networkA telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
for the exploration of
MarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. Areostationary orbit is a concept similar to Earth's
geostationary orbitA geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
.
External links