{"id":14642,"date":"2017-07-18T17:16:42","date_gmt":"2017-07-18T21:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14642"},"modified":"2017-07-18T17:19:43","modified_gmt":"2017-07-18T21:19:43","slug":"russian-student-satellite-will-shine-bright-in-the-night-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14642","title":{"rendered":"Russian student satellite will shine bright in the night sky"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Russian student satellite was recently launched (along with 72 other satellites<\/a>) into low earth orbit (LEO). Mayak<\/a>\u00a0is Russia’s first crowdfunded satellite project. The primary goal is to demonstrate that a small satellite can be de-orbited passively by deploying a large form that greatly increases the drag of the spacecraft as it passes through the extremely thin upper atmosphere in LEO.<\/p>\n

Mayak, which is about the size of a loaf of bread (10cm x 10cm x 34 cm), \u00a0will inflate a\u00a0tetrahedron-shaped form covered in reflective sheets. This will not only increase its drag but will also make it very bright in the night sky:\u00a0Almost as Bright as the Moon? New Satellite Might Light Up the Sky – Sky & Telescope.<\/a><\/p>\n

Each surface is four square meters on a side and should be readily visible from the ground on a twilight pass. In fact, the team claims, Mayak will be the \u201cbrightest shooting star\u201d once unfurled, almost as bright as the full Moon at\u00a0magnitude \u201310<\/a>. Mayak could be visible in bright twilight and perhaps even during daytime passes as well.<\/em><\/p>\n