Simon:
We are completely dependent on the launcher to get us into orbit. Period, end of story. If the launcher does not put us into a stable orbit, the launcher failed its primary mission.
That said,
Please go and look at the pictures from some of our previous missions:
and in particular, look at the pictures for Phase 3A, AO-10, and AO-13. In the cases AO-10 and AO-13, you will see two men in "spacesuits". They are filling our satellite tanks with fuel and oxidizer for our rocket motor. Phase 3A (never given an oscar number since the launcher failed) did not have this because it had a solid rocket motor. I believe it was a Morton Thiokol kick motor.
The primary rocket launcher in these cases did not, and was never intended to, put us into our FINAL orbit. We carried a significant rocket motor to put ourselves into the final orbit. Further, almost all of the complexity of these payloads (satellites) comes from the need to carry propulsion.
73's Bob N4HY
Simon wrote:
Hi everybody,
I was wondering if any one can suggest where I might find information on "how a satellite" gets placed into orbit. I have had a quick search of the web and can only find that a rocket gets it there. I hope to learn how and when its gets kicked off the rocket (or Shuttle), and what happens after that. How does it loose what momentum the rocket may have given it, and how it then goes into an orbit etc .
Any help much appreciated.
Thankyou
Simon, VK3ZSJ