The Only Video Needed to Understand Orbital Mechanics
Animations Xplaned・7 minutes read
Spacecraft staying in orbit is a delicate balance of kinetic and potential energy at high velocities to counteract gravity, with various types of burns adjusting trajectory and altitude, including pro-grade, retrograde, radial out, radial in, normal, and anti-normal burns. These burns help spacecraft move further from or closer to Earth, alter their orbit's inclination, and maintain a straight trajectory while adjusting velocity as needed.
Insights
- Pro-grade burns increase a spacecraft's velocity, moving it away from Earth, while retrograde burns decrease velocity, bringing it closer.
- Normal and anti-normal burns adjust a spacecraft's inclination, raising or lowering it from its initial orbit, often used for aligning orbits with other spacecraft.
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Recent questions
How do spacecraft stay in orbit?
Spacecraft stay in orbit by balancing kinetic and potential energy, achieving high velocities to counteract gravity and reaching a high altitude to avoid air resistance.
What is the mechanical energy in an orbit?
The mechanical energy in an orbit is the sum of kinetic and potential energy, similar to a roller coaster's exchange of energy as it moves along its track, with elliptical orbits having periopsis and apoapsis points.
What do pro-grade burns do to spacecraft?
Pro-grade burns increase velocity in the direction of motion, causing spacecraft to move further from Earth.
How do radial out burns affect spacecraft?
Radial out burns resist gravity, maintaining a straight trajectory but slowing down the spacecraft.
What do normal and anti-normal burns do to orbits?
Normal and anti-normal burns change the orbit's inclination, with normal burns raising the spacecraft away from its initial orbit, often used for corrections when matching orbits with other spacecraft.
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Summary
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"Spacecraft Orbits: Balancing Energy and Velocity"
- To stay in space, spacecraft need to enter an orbit, achieved by balancing kinetic and potential energy, with high velocities necessary to counteract gravity, requiring a high altitude to avoid air resistance.
- Mechanical energy in an orbit is the sum of kinetic and potential energy, akin to a roller coaster's exchange of energy as it moves along its track, with elliptical orbits having periopsis and apoapsis points.
- Pro-grade burns increase velocity in the direction of motion, causing spacecraft to move further from Earth, while retrograde burns decrease velocity, bringing the spacecraft closer to Earth.
- Radial out burns resist gravity, maintaining a straight trajectory but slowing down the spacecraft, while radial in burns have the opposite effect, altering the orbit's altitude.
- Normal and anti-normal burns change the orbit's inclination, with normal burns raising the spacecraft away from its initial orbit, generally used for corrections when matching orbits with other spacecraft.
