A rocket ship is initially in a circular orbit close to earth. It is desired to place the rocket ship in an orbit where the apogee distance is 60x that of the original. A single rocket ship burst is used to accomplish this, only in the tangential direction. What is the final to initial speed ratio. Also, if the speed thrust was 1% too great, what is the new apogee distance?
2007-12-02 04:55:19 · 1 answers · asked by Bommer 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I would use the orbital energy, or vis-viva, equation for that. See the source for information. It is both a simple and not so simple problem. It is simple if you understand at a gut level how orbits work, and it isn't if you don't. In addition to the equation you will need some other information, like the radius of the Earth and the Earth's standard gravitational parameter.
2007-12-02 05:22:13 · answer #1 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋