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Originally Posted by SUBMAN1
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Originally Posted by baggygreen
I guess if they're gonna test it on the space station they dont need it in its current orbit anymore  |
I'd use it to boost orbit! |
A plasma engine such as this would not be useful for making drastic changes in orbit. Plasma Engines work best out of the heavy orbital influences of planets/stars.
The biggest advantage of Plasma Engines is their fuel efficiency and their ability to provide low thrust for long periods of time. Just the thing when you are schlepping between planets.
But for changing orbital periods or orbital planes a chemical reactive engine would still be your best bet. Using a Plasma Engine to shift orbital planes would not only take a very long time but would be pretty hard to model.
Imagine trying to merge onto a crowded high speed freeway while accelerating at .01 Mile per minute. It can be done but it will take a long time and trying to predict where your car will merge will be pretty hard.
In todays crowded orbital environment you want your orbit changes to occur smartly and predictably. Satellites don't have turn signals and other satellites are notorious for ignoring them anyway.
