The home page states
that this site will examine the methods used to predict satellite
motion. The transcendental equations that
Kepler gave
us can be applied to solve just about any spacecraft orbital manever or
postion prediction problem with the get a bigger computer
approach. However, a scientist should not be eager to take that
approach toward
a
problem. We have equations that will give us time as a function of
position for
any orbit. There is clearly a one-to-one relationship between time
and
position, but we have not been able to write an equation for a
discrete
solution for position as a function of time for elliptic or hyperbolic
orbits.
The site conforms to an outline. It builds on prior work and expects that a reader interested in this problem will have an appropriate background for understanding the topics in the outline. Some fundamentals are explained in the appendices to try to make the overall explanation more complete. The outline, which is like a brief table of contents, is:
1.0 History/Background
2.0 Definitions/Clarifications
3.0 It’s Relative
4.0
Simple
Orbits
5.0
More
Complex Orbits
6.0
6.0 Rocket Science
Appendix A: Basic Principles
Appendix B: A Frame of Reference
Appendix C: Do the Math
Appendix D:
It’s
Mechanics
There are many
aspects to a thorough study of orbital mechanics beyond
the two-body time-displacement equations. Those
are
explained very well in the literature and in textbooks, and I am not
attempting to add
to them. I have a focus on the
relationship between position and time because our methods and
equations can be improved in this area.