The 6 Classic Orbital Elements
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 - 22:30
in Astronomy & Space
'Project Calliope' will have a nearly circular polar low-earth orbit... but what does that actually mean? Here's a brief mini course in orbital mechanics.Any orbit requires 6 elements to specify the position and motion fully. Since we live in 3-D space, it's equivalent to 3 spatial dimensions and 3 velocities. You could use (x,y,z) for the position and (vx,vy,vz) for the velocities. You could use spherical coordinates, or Euler angles. All of those give you, at any instant, the full position and motion in 3D of the satellite at a specific instance in time.read more