Questions tagged [astrodynamics]
The study of satellite orbits and space flight dynamics.
144 questions
6 votes
2 answers
1k views
Astrodynamics for gas giant moons - SOI flawed
Following this answer here the sphere of influence (SOI) asks which of two gravitating bodies should be used as the origin for purposes of modeling the behavior of some third body such as a spacecraft ...
- 1
4 votes
0 answers
151 views
Earth to Mars Rocket Project
I would like to consider a rocket impulse plan from Earth to Mars for my Personal Project (IB-MYP) I am currently working on, and I am a student in high school in Hiroshima, Japan. Could you please ...
- 41
4 votes
1 answer
60 views
Navigating CDDIS Site for High Precision Ephemerides
I am having some difficulties understanding the data on CDDIS website, especially, how to navigate them. I am essentially trying to get access to some high precision State (Position and velocity) ...
- 185
3 votes
1 answer
85 views
High Order and Degree Gravitational Potential and correlation with Orbit Propagation Error
I am trying to get a good understanding of when to use higher order/degree gravitational terms in orbit propagation, but I am coming up short on any literature that measures or highlights the ...
- 185
-2 votes
1 answer
90 views
Research examples that can be conducted using STK or GMAT [closed]
I am looking for some inspiration. I have STK and GMAT. Recently certified in STK. I want to dig deep and show some expertise. Can someone give some good research topics I should explore? Maybe some ...
13 votes
1 answer
1k views
Is the answer in Bate, Mueller, and White's Fundamentals of astrodynamics' Appendix wrong?
I've been reading through BMW's Fundamentals of Astrodynamics (1st ed) and thought I'd give the computer project in Appendix D a go. I'm currently at PROJECT GAUSS, where you are supposed to write a ...
- 569
5 votes
1 answer
501 views
How to predict ground station visibilities for months ahead (for a CubeSat)?
I need to predict ground station visibilities for a LEO CubeSat, but I need to do it for a long period of time, say 1 to 3 months, to see more or less how many pass opportunities I have for the next 1-...
- 59
2 votes
0 answers
95 views
Does the J2000 frame deviate slightly from the ICRS frame over time?
My assumption was that the J2000 frame is rotating away from the ICRS frame overtime due to precession, but when I tried to calculate what the deviation would be right now, I'm getting somewhere ...
- 185
3 votes
1 answer
103 views
Was the Celestial Intermediate Pole aligned with the z axis of the GCRF at Epoch (Jan. 1st, 2000)?
As the title goes. Was there ever an alignment of the z axis with the CIP at Epoch, and then CIP started to precess away. Or was there always an offset between the two.
- 185
2 votes
0 answers
62 views
Effects of Precession and Nutation on the pole of the ICRF
The z axis of the ICRF frame is aligned with the rotation axis of Earth at J2000. This axis shouldn't change, since it is based on a specific Epoch. But, based on what some forums/information I have ...
- 185
1 vote
0 answers
89 views
Are state vectors the same in GCRF and ICRF?
I'm trying to wrap my head around the GCRF and ICRF reference frames and the fact that they are often used interchangeably. I understand that they are essentially the same in terms of orientation, but ...
- 185
3 votes
0 answers
68 views
TEME to GCRF Test Cases
I have a couple of algorithms (Astrolib and Orekit) that converts from TEME to GCRF, but I need a way to validate these algorithm for accuracy and efficiency. The results from a given TEME state ...
- 185
2 votes
0 answers
126 views
Different astrodynamics propagation errors depending on starting point; why?
I am modelling an interplanetary transfer between earth and mars, and comparing the position difference between the lambert arc (no perturbations) and numerical integration arc (perturbations included)...
- 21
1 vote
1 answer
196 views
Way to enter aerospace industry for ex-programmer [closed]
Hello everyone! I was a programmer (gamedev, Unity3D/C# stack). But all my life I was interested in space flights and space exploration. I multiple times tried to apply myself to space, but never been ...
- 411
1 vote
0 answers
60 views
Differences between ballistic models on Drama/MIDAS
I am a student who is evaluating the impact of micro meteoroids on satellite external tubes using MIDAS tool on DRAMA by ESA. I want to verify how the probability of no penetration changes by adding ...
- 367