🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <u926135.720674864@tasman| u926135@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (Adrian Hassall Lewis) writes:
|I admit that this is a bit of a dumb question, but I have had absolutely
|no luck trying to find an explanation in any textbook on space dynamics.
|
|The question:  Why is 28.5 degrees such a common orbit?
|
|I can understand the US launching to this inclination as the KSC is at 28.5N,
|but I've read that the ESA also launches to this orbital plane as well.  Isn't
|it most efficent for them to launch to a 1 degree orbit?  Is it something to do
|with GTO? and if so, what?
|
What payload did ESA launch into 28.5 from Kourou? That inclination is not
very useful--US does it to maximize payload using the earth's rotation.
ESA launches due eastward (unless there is population in that direction)
for geostationary satellites and northward for sun-synchonous (98 deg) polar
satellites.


-- 
Bruce Watson (wats@scicom)  Tumbra, Zorkovick; Sparkula zoom krackadomando.