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Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by mino on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @04:00PM (#11911733)
I recommend the two animations on the wiki page of eLISA, they are worth a thousands words to understand the (crazy!) orbit of this contraption:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolved_Laser_Interferometer_S...

Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by kilovoltaire on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @05:32PM (#11912310)
Wow, zero-drag satellites are a really elegant idea!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-drag_satellite

Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by stephengillie on Thursday June 16, 2016 @12:14AM (#11913942)
You must see umbrellas and parasols as elegant as well.

A precursor concept of a zero-drag satellite can be seen in Stargate SG1: "The Serpent's Venom", where an armed mine from an orbital minefield is brought aboard a shuttle, and the pilot must match the mine's trajectory changes.

Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by adrianN on Thursday June 16, 2016 @03:06AM (#11914516)
"The Drag-free Satellite", the paper referenced in the Wikpedia article is from 1964, slightly older than SG1.

Also, your comment would be much nicer without the first sentence. And if you think about it, umbrellas are pretty neat. The folding mechanism is nifty, if you ask me.

Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by nannal on Thursday June 16, 2016 @04:35AM (#11914790)
look at this idiot, he can find beauty in elegant mechanisms!
Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by stephengillie on Sunday June 19, 2016 @02:41AM (#11932056)
It's so beautifully elegant to hold it aloft with your outstretched arm.
Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by Terr_ on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @09:43PM (#11913432)
Wow, I didn't think it was possible to have three orbits that maintain an equilateral triangle like that. (I'm assuming the satellites only need to thrust against smaller influences like solar wind.)
Re:Second Gravitational Wave Detected at LIGO by macawfish on Thursday June 16, 2016 @01:39PM (#11917639)
If you like that orbit, look into the hopf fibration!