W3NJ@aol.com wrote:
I could understand a slight difference, but it's been weeks since they re-entered.
It's all about mass and aerodynamics (the *ballistic coefficient* is how engineers talk about the issue). RAFT and NMARS were deployed together and were both 5 inch cubes. NMARS deorbited earlier because it had a lower mass and was decelerated by the atmosphere more quickly. Think about throwing a baseball vs a whiffle ball ... if you throw both at the same velocity, the baseball will go much further.
FCAL and ANDE are both spheres so they slip through the atmosphere easier than the two cubesats. I can't speak to their mass, perhaps Bob can once he returns from his trip. My earlier analogy falls apart here ... I have never tried to throw a baseball and a *Rubik's* *Cube together*!
-Joe KM1P