Questions tagged [orbit]
Questions regarding the mechanics or attributes of objects falling 'around' other objects, thereby orbiting them.
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How to calculate COEs from State Vectors in Left Handed XYZ Coordinate System/C++
I'm making a little space sim with C++ and SDL and am trying to calculate the classical orbital elements (COEs) using the methods demonstrated in this video:
The big ...
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How to find the velocity vector of a planet in orbit argument of periapsis or longitude of the ascending node?
Edit : This question has been answered. If anybody else creating a fictional planet has a similar question to mine, with a not-so-good understanding of orbital mechanics such as me, the answer should ...
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Would it be possible to create a relatively permanent Kessler syndrome event in interplanetary space between Earth and Venus?
A lot of interplanetary space infrastructure would be focused around Lagrange points, where collision energies would be very low. The threat in this case would come from everything traveling between ...
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Is perceived weightlessness greater in orbit due to constantly falling?
I'm familiar with $F_{g} = G\frac{m_{1}m_{2}}{r^{2}}$ and I was wondering if that means anyone orbiting the Earth actually experiences greater perceived weightlessness due to orbit itself compared to ...
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Issue in orbit propagator with wmm2020 output
I am trying to build an orbit propagator with input of latitude and longitude in wmm2020 to plot the magnitude of the geomagnetic field. The orbit seems good but the field plot is completely wrong. ...
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Does earth's revolving around sun affect polar orbit ground track?
As the earth revolves around the sun, does the ground track of a polar orbit change? I realize the oblateness of the earth causes precession of the nodes, I want to know if there's another effect.
As ...
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What is the lowest viable circular orbit around Mars that can last at least one week?
Supposing you wanted to launch a spaceship from the surface of Mars into orbit around Mars. It would stay in orbit for up to one week while you prepared a second rocket that would dock with it to ...
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Calculating change to radio signal propagating around via satellite orbits
What is the best way to calculate either the time difference or frequency change for a radio signal in the following scenario?
60 satellites are in the same circular orbital path at 6 degree intervals....
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How much deltaV would it take to launch from the top of mount Everest straight up then circularize at 200km once in space?
I realize there are several similar questions, but i didn't see mention of the amount of deltaV needed beyond saying there is a slight benefit that is more than offset by dozens of social/political/...
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Could we make space roads? Like a space elevator between planets?
We hear a lot about space elevators that could place something in orbit, but what about a space road between planets? Suppose you had a long tube or flat road placed between Earth and Mars by chemical ...
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What are the factors affecting a satellite's Repeat Ground Track period?
I understand the Repeat Ground Track (RGT) period of a satellite will be affected by its altitude. A similar post: How Do I determine the ground track period of a LEO satellite, describes a simple ...
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Is my code correct to get six Keplerian parameters?
Is my code correct to get six Keplerian parameters?
...
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How bad is a non-Lagrangian Point orbit?
I am no expert on space physics, just an interested amateur. I've been searching for a few weeks and having a hard time gaining insight on this question. Phrasing the question more specifically: how ...
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Would Starship be able to lift mass to orbit (both low and geo-stationary) cheaper than "any" space elevator?
A comment to an answer to a question about Mars missions stated that using Starship to launch mass to orbit would be cheaper than a space elevator. I didn't imagine that. I know that space elevators ...
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What is the current state of the art in converting between mean and osculating orbital elements?
I want to implement algorithms to convert from mean to osculating elements, and vice versa.
I've been digging through Vallado's text (fourth edition), and under ...
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What can one do as an individual to help support the development of skyhooks?
In my recent research on the potential of a SkyHook, I've found a startling gap: it seems like no one is actively pursuing this technology. Many, including myself, believe that this could be the ...
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How were Wikipedia's orbital simulations made?
Pretty simple question; what software is used on Wikipedia to make these simulations? Some examples below:
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MATLAB Simple Elliptical Orbits with J2 perturbation and drag
For some reason I need to build a Elliptical Orbits satellite dynamic model by myself, in here I am using MATALB.
The model its fine before (I think the J2 effect part works well) I add drag effect on ...
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What is the name of this specific, popular MEO orbit? [duplicate]
While browsing a space object visualisation service, AstriaGraph, I see a large number of objects occupying a specific MEO orbit, and I want to understand the name and purpose of this orbit, and what ...
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Vis-Viva equation applied to Earth
We know that the Vis-Viva equation is given by:
$v=\sqrt{G M\left(\frac{2}{r}-\frac{1}{a}\right)}$
If I plug-in the values for Earth (the mass is obviously that of the Sun):
$G=6.6743 \times 10^{-11} \...
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Equivalent Vis-Viva equation but for acceleration
I know that thanks to the Vis-Viva equation, knowing the elliptic parameter of a celestial orbiting object we can get its speed on any point of the orbit.
But what about the acceleration? Is there an ...
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In circle orbit, give a delta V to a satellite, how to find final orbit altitude?
I think this is a very very simple question for me, but unfortunately I cant solve it...
A satellite is orbiting in a circular path at an altitude of 600
kilometers. If the satellite is capable of ...
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Converting Keplerian Orbital Elements into 2D State Vectors in Unity C#
I have done an extensive amount of research into this topic, but am really struggling to implement the math necessary to pull this off correctly.
Just for some context: I'm trying to create a semi-...
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Definition of "stable orbit"
I often struggle with the term "stable orbit" for objects in earths sphere of influence, since all real orbits are affected by disturbing forces.
Sentences like:
It is not possible to ...
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Would orbital ring platforms affect the orbit of a planet?
If we built an orbiting platform of sufficient mass (let's say, made from harvested asteroids) that was anchored at both poles of the planet it surrounded, would such an addition to the planet's mass ...
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Escaping Earth - how could one attempt to find the best solution to this trajectory optimization problem in practice?
If there is a satellite in low Earth orbit, with a limited delta-v budget (but high enough to escape Earth) and limited delta-v-rate (thrust), how could one find an acceleration schedule and ...
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What network does the Chandra X-ray Observatory satellite use to communicate with Earth while staying in its orbit?
From a NASA fun facts website How do satellites communicate?:
How do satellites communicate?
Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the
antennas on the Earth. The antennas ...
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Chemical Problems When Encountering Thin Atmospheric Worlds
Bodies such as Enceladus, Mercury, and Triton, etc... have thin (and often temporary) atmospheres.
When probes or landers encounter the chemicals in such atmospheres in low orbits/landings, they may ...
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Satellite Surface Temperature in Orbit
I am trying to calculate the satellite surface temperature in Orbit for Thermal Tests of our satellite.
Referring "Space Vehicle Design, D.Griffin, Ch.9, the equations of heat transfer on the ...
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In MATLAB, Computing a new TLE/orbit following a delta-v impulse?
I have already worked on this project for a week, and I still can not solve this problem by myself. How can I update data for the SGP4 OrbitPropagator in Matlab's ...
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Why Euclid's orbit is not like Gaia but like JWST?
Euclid, Gaia and JWST are all orbiting Lagrange Point L2. Why is Euclid's orbit similar to JWST but not Gaia's, why is Gaia's orbit different than Euclid and JWST ?
Orbits are shown here for example:
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Would reaching an elliptical orbit with the same mean altitude as that of a circular orbit require the same amount of fuel?
Would a rocket that wanted to reach an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 100 miles (160 km) and an apogee of 300 miles (480 km) burn the same amount of fuel as a rocket that wanted to attain a ...
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How do I calculate the maximum northern and southern latitude a LEO satellite can image?
How do I calculate the maximum northern and southern latitude a LEO satellite can image? What parameters would I need?
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Orbit prediction for satellites using the Kepler model
I would like to know how to model the motion of satellites in orbit using Keplerian, i.e. develop a simulation model that tracks paths of satellites using Keplerian orbits in Python?
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What's the motion of two connected satellites orbiting the Earth after their separation?
Let's consider the following problem (it's a job interview question): two satellites are orbiting the Earth in a circular orbit; they are rigidly linked by a tether which is always pointing in the ...
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“Parabolic”, suborbital and ballistic trajectories all follow elliptic paths. Is there a generic term for these trajectories?
There are three types of trajectories which produce microgravity but intersect with the surface of the earth:
Reduced Gravity Flights in airplanes. These are sometimes called “parabolic” but are ...
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Finding or calculating orbital velocities of celestial bodies at periapsis/apoapsis?
I'm writing a solar system simulation that uses n-body physics. To plug in the celestial bodies in our solar system, I'm copying orbital values from wikipedia. For one example, the wikipedia page for ...
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Circularization of an orbit on gmat
I'm using Gmat to turn to zero the eccentricity of an orbit around Mars with an electric thruster. I modeled the initial orbit, introduced the engine, the tank and the solar arrays and created the ...
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Calculate position of planet on fictitious orbit each day
I'm a software developer but my degree with in mathematics. I'm trying to develop a game/simulation of a fictitious randomly generated solar system, and trying to work out how to model and calculate ...
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What causes a satellite's orbit to decay?
Why do orbits of satellites orbiting at sufficient speed, far beyond the Earth's atmosphere, decay if there is no atmospheric drag? What drag is applied on the satellites at that altitude?
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What is a Mars 5-sol orbit? [closed]
I need to calculate the delta-v for descent from 5-sol orbit to the surface of Mars and then ascent back to 5-sol orbit from the surface of Mars. What is a "5-sol orbit?"
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How do "halo orbits" save on propellent (delta-v)?
I am trying to understand what advantage the satellite's 'Halo Orbit' has compared to LEO or Geostationary orbits.
"Lagrange points have proven to be very useful indeed since a spacecraft can be ...
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What is the relationship between the radius of the Hill sphere and escape velocity?
I'm currently working on a video game that will make use of a heavily simplified patched-conic model of the Solar System.
I was wondering about some discrepancies between my own calculations as well ...
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How much of a rocket energy is needed to overcome aerodynamic drag?
this question
How much of a rocket's energy is used to achieve altitude vs horizontal velocity? addresses the energy split of kinetic vs. potential energy to get to space - and to stay there.
We ...
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Does every celestial body orbits something? [closed]
Pretty much the title is the question. Lets take the massive blackhole of our milky way does this black hole orbit something?
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A black cube 1 mile per side appears in geosynchronous orbit around the earth. Who would spot it and how would they do it? How easy would it be?
This is not intended to be a math question, so much as an understanding of how the current technology and techniques would view this problem.
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Why is 51.8° inclination standard for Soyuz?
Soyuz flights are mostly around 51.8° inclination, and the Soyuz manual gives this as a reference value. Why is 51.8° the standard inclination? That's not the latitude of Baikonur, and I couldn't find ...
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How can I calculate GPS satellite's Latitude and Longitude if I have the elevation and the azimuth
Please tell me how I can calculate a GPS satellite's latitude and longitude if I have the elevation and the azimuth angles.
I am using a septentrio GPS receiver.
Thanks
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What is the simplest rocket design that can reach orbit
I am curious on what the simplest possible rocket design that have been proposed which could reach orbit.
My first thoughts would be earlier rockets like the Atlas LV-3B, but then I consider the ...
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Could we by ordinary mining activities, affect the Lunar orbit?
In The Time Machine (Guy Pearce version), they manage to literally break up the Earth's moon with obviously disastrous results and I believe they were just building underground structures.
I am ...
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