Satellite Motion Around an Oblate Planet: A Perturbation Solution for all Orbital Parameters
Abstract
The search for a universal solution of the equations of motion for satellite orbiting an oblate planet is a subject that has merited great interest because of its theoretical implications and practical applications. The discovery of such a solution should motivate a reassessment of both the theories that exhibit singularities and the physical effects implied by singularities. The practical importance of such a solution is the efficiency of simple analytic formulas in predicting simultaneously the paths of large numbers of satellites in a multitude of orbits. Here, a complete first order solution to the problem of a satellite, perturbed only by the oblateness of the Earth, is displayed. The orbit is free of singularities for all parameters and is valid for 1000 revolutions with a relative error of the order J-sq approx. = .000001. (jhd)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA216176
Entities
People
- James R. Snider
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School