UARS satellite: New images of tumbling spacecraft

I can't decide if this is a dumb question or not, but why does something like the ISS always face the surface of the Earth in the same direction? For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7...

I know the reason the moon is always facing the same face toward us is because it has locked its own rotational rate to match it orbital rate due to "tidal like" forces acting back on the moon.

So, maybe I just answered my own question, I guess they purposefully added a rotational component to the ISS so that it is always facing the surface as it orbits? Why do that instead of staying fixed according to the stars? Maybe that is too disorienting for the astronauts.

ldite• 15 years ago

Control Moment Gyroscopes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_moment_gyroscope#Intern...

derobert• 15 years ago

Its done on purpose. For example, high-gain communications antennas need to remain pointed at Earth, else they don't do much good.

UARS satellite: New images of tumbling spacecraft

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