When you start to solve a problem in science or engineering you can go
about it in several ways. In some cases you have no choice: There may be
only one practical method of doing the job. Other times, there may be
several ways to attack the problem. You may try one, find it to be
unfruitful, and then work on another approach. You will see both these
methods of attack in the case histories we present in the next chapter.
Here are some of the techniques of scientific problem solving that we
will be discussing:
—_Applying basic principles directly._ In answering the questions “How
do we calculate a satellite’s orbit?” and “What color should a
satellite be?” the successful procedure was to begin with basic known
concepts and use them in a new field.
—_Adapting known devices._ To answer the question “How can we make
optical measurements on a satellite?” the story was somewhat
different: Devices that already had been developed—mirrors,
telescopes, and cathode ray tubes—were utilized in a new and different
way.
—_Developing entirely new equipment._ Another question—“How do we keep
solar cell power plants working in space?”—deals with an entirely new
area of investigation; it could only be answered by perfecting some
entirely new techniques.
—_Experimentation._ Sometimes there is no definite answer to a problem.
In the case of “Would time delay be a problem in using a synchronous
satellite?” investigation is still going on. Our report tells of one
set of experiments that helped add to our information about this
problem—the final answer, if there is one, must come later. But, as
with many problems, experimentation continues.
—“_Detective work._” Our sixth problem is really a unique one—and, for
want of a better way to describe it, we use this title. It tells how
the problem of “How can we repair an orbiting satellite?”—something
never even attempted before—was ingeniously solved by means of
scientific deduction hundreds of miles away from the problem itself.
CASE HISTORY NO. 1
How Do We Calculate a Satellite’s Orbit?
Franz T. Geyling
_Mechanics Specialist—Head, Analytic and Aerospace Mechanics Department_