geosynchronous orbit
The meteorologist on duty in the United States Weather Satellite in Clarke orbit twenty-two thousand miles above the Atlantic had watched the anomalous formation for half an hour on the big twelve-power screen before calling it to the attention of his supervisor.
With Early Bird (6 April 1965) a Clarke orbit was achieved.
I just read and like the July issue, incidentally noticing that both Arthur Clarke and Norman Spinrad made use of a term which I have long considered unnecessarily clumsy, to wit ‘synchronous’, as ‘geo-synchronous orbit’. For some time in my work I have employed the term ‘Clarke orbit’, which is simple and gives Arthur the credit due to him. I hereby propose that you throw the weight of Analog behind this usage, and pretty soon everybody will say ‘Clarke orbit’.
Well, Connie, we're in a Clarke orbit, so we don’t have to worry about orbital velocity.
antedating 1969
Keith Laumer
Earliest cite in the OED: 1983.
Last modified 2020-12-16 04:08:47
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