SIMULTANEOUS EFFECT OF DRAG AND OBLATENESS,

Abstract

The purpose of the report is to derive a convenient set of differential equations for the study of the simultaneous effect of the earth's oblateness and of atmospheric drag on the motion of an aritficial satellite. An immediate conclusion is that drag tends to increase the effect of oblateness. Rough numerical tests indicate that this may be expected for orbits with perigees of around one hundred nautical miles, e.g. Explorer III. An approximate formula for the magnitude of the angular momentum as a function of the latitude is derived. It is used to determine the eccentricity, semi-major axis, and inclination of the plane of the instantaneous ellipse of the orbit. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 19, 1959
Accession Number
AD0605635

Entities

People

  • W. T. Kyner

Organizations

  • TRW Inc.

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Angular Momentum
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Differential Equations
  • Eccentricity
  • Equations
  • Grids
  • Latitude
  • Mathematics
  • Momentum
  • Nautical
  • Physical Properties

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris