World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[guy6]

Earth's Rotation and Stratellite:

<...couldn't the rotation of the earth take care of the east / west travel?>

No, I don't think so.

The earth's atmosphere rotates along with the earth, and an object on earth or in the earth's atmosphere inherits momentum from being part of this system. Basketball players don't drift to the west when taking jump shots. Airplanes don't fly faster when flying west than when flying east.

One could argue that this is true near the surface of the earth, but at very high altitudes, the atmosphere "lags" in its rotation. This might be true to some degree. But at the altitude of the stratellite, I do not think that this is a major factor.

If this "lag" were a major factor, the stratellite would have to expend an enormous amount of energy simply to maintain its station over its assigned location.

- guy6