                   APOD: 2018 January 7 - A Tether in Space

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2018 January 7
                                      [2]
                              A Tether in Space
             Image Credit: TSS-1 [3] , STS-46 [4]  Crew, NASA [5]

Explanation: One of the greatest unrequited legends of outer space is the
tether. Tethers [6] , long strands of material, hold the promise [7]  of
stabilizing satellites [8] , generating electricity [9] , and allowing easy
transportation [10] . Possibly the most ambitious vision [11] of the space
tether is the space elevator [12]  popularized by Arthur C. Clarke [13] ,
where a tether is constructed [14]  that connects the ground to geosynchronous
orbit [15] . One problem [16]  is strength - it is difficult to make a long
useful tether [17]  that does not snap. Pictured here [18]  is the deployment
of the Tethered Satellite System 1 [19]  (TSS-1) by the space shuttle Altantis
[20]  in 1992. Like other tested tethers, TSS-1 failed [21]  to live up to its
promise, although many valuable lessons [22]  were learned.

                   Free APOD Lecture: January 9 in DC [23]
                 Tomorrow's picture: clouds of andromeda [24]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [36] (MTU [37] ) & Jerry Bonnell [38]
                                  (UMCP [39] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [40] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [41]
              A service of: ASD [42]  at NASA [43]  / GSFC [44]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [45]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1801/tether_tss1_960.jpg
  [3] https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=TSS-1
  [4] https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1992-049A
  [5] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tether
  [7] http://www.tethers.com/TethersGeneral.html
  [8] http://www.tethers.com/FormationFlying.html
  [9] http://www.tethers.com/EDTethers.html
  [10] http://www.tethers.com/MXTethers.html
  [11]
http://www.catsvscancer.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/caturday-is-here-cat.jpg
  [12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator
  [13] http://www.clarkefoundation.org/about-sir-arthur/
  [14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountains_of_Paradise
  [15] https://scool.larc.nasa.gov/orbits.html
  [16] http://www.spacetethers.com/badrep.html
  [17] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlpFzn_Y-F0
  [18] http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=TSS-1
  [19] https://science.nasa.gov/missions/tss
  [20] ap041212.html
  [21] http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wtether.html
  [22] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1993STIN...9327162R
  [23] http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=37750
  [24] ap180108.html
  [25] ap180106.html
  [26] archivepix.html
  [27] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [28] lib/aptree.html
  [29] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [30] calendar/allyears.html
  [31] /apod.rss
  [32] lib/edlinks.html
  [33] lib/about_apod.html
  [34] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180107
  [35] ap180108.html
  [36] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [37] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [38] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [39] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [40] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [41] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [42] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [43] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [44] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [45] http://www.mtu.edu/
