geosynchronous / geostationary

[beermat]

why is apx 36,000Km the orbit for geosynchronous satellites? Isn't any orbit (at the right speed) geosynchronous?

Comments

[lostcarpark.livejournal.com]

Interesting that you should bring it up - the US military is currently looking at satellite "tug-boats". The idea is that there are lots of perfectly good satellites up there that have come to the end of their lives because they've run out of fuel. Instead of spending a billioin dollers on a new satellite, send up a low-cost tug that would hitch onto the old one and take over the guidance/course correction functions.