Is it possible that a satellite could stay in orbit and still be functioning after 100 years?

Question

Suppose the human race were wiped off the face of the Earth tomorrow. In 100 years, would it be possible (however unlikely) that any of the satellites currently up there would still be functional? And if so, is there any particular type that would have a greater chance of surviving this long? Thanks.

Answer 1

Only if you have the equipments and Battery that can last for 100 years... Otherwise not!

Answer 2

no, probably not... they require maintence among other things that they couldn't get if we were gone.... they'd likely either c**p out or crash back down to earth.  

Answer 3

In high Earth orbit, an object can stay up there for millenia, or even longer. But no satellites built with current technology can function for 100 years, without refueling and maintenance. Satellites use fuel to maintain their attitude and orbit, or they use reaction wheels to maintain their attitude. The harsh radiation and thermal environment in Earth orbit also takes a toll upon electronics, solar cells and moving parts. The on-board batteries are another failure point for satellites. Repeatedly charging and discharging them causes batteries to wear out and fail. Moving parts in particular are nothing but trouble for satellites and their builders. They can jam or stick, wrecking the mission in the process. Eventually they will fail, terminating the satellite's operations and leaving it as a defunct piece of space junk. Collisions in space with orbital debris also will likely destroy or disable a satellite well before a century in orbit, even if one could be built to operate 100 years with no maintenance and repairs while in orbit. Within a few years, all the satellites left up there after we become extinct or fall back into barbarism would be dead and all but the ones in higher orbits will star falling back into the atmosphere to burn up, scattering pieces of metal onto the land or ocean.

Answer 4

theoretically the ans is definitely yes. a satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit or higher  - if not acted upon by an outside source - would stay afloat. with solar or nuclear power, a simplistic design or possibly self repairing you would be in business for the required hundred yrs. or longer.

Answer 5

Depends if your saying just put it there and forget about it the answer is no gravity would pull it down to our atmosphere and it would burn up long before 100 yrs if your saying could they go back maintain it and move it everyonce in awhile to keep its orbit the answer is yes

Answer 6

Consider that a 100 year old piece of high technology would be little more then a historical artifact.  It's equipment would be so outdated that it would not be worth the cost of maintaining ground support.  It would be like trying to maintain a manned observation ballon unit with it's carrier pigeons as a support formation to a front line unit.    

This one was operated by the New York National Guard 100 years ago.

http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/home/storyim...

Answer 7

it can..if they send someone up every so month to do a check up..because something orbiting can hit things get sertain things u wouldnt get on earth...and we dont know how to build stuff to last that long in space without a chekup every now and then..i hope this helps

Answer 8

The operational lifetime of a machine is roughly inversely proportional to some power of its complexity. A wedge (e.g. an axe head) is a very simple machine with a very long lifespan. It's major cause of failure is rust. You might find a serviceable axe head from 2000 years ago, if it were kept in a dry place. But for a machine as complicated as a computer, in an environment as unfriendly as space, I'd say that the average lifespan would be rather brief. With good design, maybe 30 years. With great design and a lot of luck, fifty.

On the other hand, maybe a satellite could be built with a self-repair capability: computer operated mechanical arms, fix-up software, spare parts, nanites maybe. Somebody named Von Neuman speculated about a probe that could land on a planet and, while exploring it, mine minerals and build a copy of itself as it had been prior to its own launch, and when the copy was finished off it would go to land on another planet somewhere. In this way, the galaxy could be explored. Our 100 year old satellite wouldn't have to be anywhere near that good.

Answer 9

it could stay in a orbit for ever.

if it would plunge out of orbit, what about the moon which is orbiting the earth scince time immemorial??

Answer 10

I can't think of any machine ever made that can function for 100 years without being repaired even once in all that time. So I say no.

Answer 11

Yes, when it is designed for such a long period of time.

Most satellites are designed for ten years and last up to 15-20 years.

The problem is, that the only power supply which can last that long, solar power, would require gigantic solar arrays for a small satellite, as the solar arrays age in space and loose effectivity. Also batteries needed for solar powered satellites have a limited number of load cycles, so another form of power storage would be required, which is likely not as effective as a battery.