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5 answers

Newton, 'action re-action' AKA thruster rockets or propellant thrusters

2007-03-29 03:36:12 · answer #1 · answered by occluderx 4 · 0 0

The spacecraft is equipped with thrusters that point in some direction relative to the spacecraft. Some only turn the craft in different directions (attitudes).

But others thrust along the center of gravity of the craft. To move the spacecraft into a more northerly direction these translation motors burn toward the south, pushing the spacecraft into a more northerly inclined orbit. To slow down, the rocket is turned so it burns behind the rocket as it goes in its orbit, which speeds it up (temporarily), but as it speeds up it goes to a higher altitude and slows down. It slows down so much that it can't maintain that altitude unless another rocket firing is made. To speed up the rocket points the motor toward the direction it's moving, fires it, and 'falls' toward a lower altitude, where it is moving too fast to maintain an orbit at that altitude, and must slow down to stay there. Remember: low orbits require a fast speed compared to high orbits. And to lower your orbit (and go faster) you must slow down (and the opposite is true).

2007-03-29 06:10:19 · answer #2 · answered by David A 5 · 0 0

It is complicated, but basically a space craft is just "thrown" like a rock by short (a few minutes long) bursts of rocket power in the right direction, and then it just "flies", or rather falls, in the direction gravity takes it. Space craft do not fly like an airplane where air pressure on the wings support and control it. It is more like a baseball being thrown from one player to another. Each time a player catches and throws it is like a rocket engine burn, and the rest of the time it is just flying or falling or coasting basically without control, going where gravity and momentum take it just like any rock or other inert object.

2007-03-29 04:11:37 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0 0

A big rocket moves it and you point it uing small thrusters (rockets) that are all ove the body of the ship.

2007-03-29 03:36:42 · answer #4 · answered by Gene 7 · 0 0

Its called an Ohms burn

2007-03-29 06:20:22 · answer #5 · answered by Chet 1 · 0 0

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