ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES OF SATELLITES IN COPLANAR CIRCULAR ORBIT.

Abstract

An analysis of the orbital characteristics of families of satellites in coplanar, circular orbit is made from a deterministic, rather than a random, point of view. The analytic results provide a basic structure that can be used in the design and planning of satellite systems for communications, weather, navigation, and warning. The basic equations describing satellite orbits are used to predict initial spreading characteristics, drift rate, potential bunching configurations, and bunching durations. Because of the complexity introduced by multiple-member families of satellites, a computer technique is used in these cases. Two spacing schemes for satellites in unperturbed, circular, coplanar orbit illustrate the analysis. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1966
Accession Number
AD0640466

Entities

People

  • G. M. Northrop

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Circular Orbits
  • Computers
  • Equations
  • Navigation
  • Orbits
  • Satellite Orbits
  • Shape
  • Spacecraft
  • Spacecraft Orbits

Readers

  • Aviation Safety and Air Traffic Management
  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris
  • Space - Satellites