SPACE TECHNOLOGY
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING, IIT MADRAS
PROBLEM SET–3
1. An object in space is observed to have an altitude of 2209 km, a velocity of
7000 m/s and an elevation angle ( φ ) of +40o.
(a) Give a complete description of the trajectory.
(b) Is there anything special or different about this trajectory?
(c) Find v, θ , φ when r = 6.378 x 10 6 m. Sketch the trajectory and locate this
point.
2. Show that the difference in energy between any two trajectories can be
expressed in terms of their semi-major axes by
µ a −a
ET2 − ET1 = 2 1
2 a2 a1
3. A satellite is in place in circular orbit at an altitude of 600 km. Find the orbital
characteristics, namely the specific kinetic energy, the specific potential
energy, the total specific energy, the period, specific angular momentum,
eccentricity, orbital velocity, and g.
Take µearth = 3.986 x 1014 m3/s2 and R earth = 6400 km.
4. Derive the expression for the two components of the acceleration of a vehicle
d2r
along the radial and azimuthal directions, where r is the position vector
dt 2
of the vehicle in the r − θ frame of reference.
deˆr deˆ
5. (a) Derive that = θ eˆθ and θ = −θ eˆr in the r − θ frame of reference.
dt dt
(b)Show that the angular momentum is a constant in the absence of a non-
radial force.
6. An Earth satellite has been launched to an intermediate circular orbit where
its velocity is 7.75km/s. It is desired to change the orbit of this satellite to an
elliptical orbit such that the perigee of the elliptical orbit is on the present
circular orbit and apogee is at a distance of 36000km from the center of
Earth. What is the ∆V required at the circular orbit to change the orbit?
Assume that the ∆V change happens at some point on the circular orbit which
is true in the limiting case of a very short duration high thrust rocket firing.
Also neglect the mass of satellite in comparison to mass of Earth.
7. A satellite is in polar orbit (orbit 1 on the sketch below) about spherical Earth.
The perigee and apogee of this orbit are in the equatorial plane. The perigee
altitude is 400km and apogee altitude is 2000km. It is required to change
satellite orbit from orbit-1 to orbit-2. This can be accomplished in several ways
a) Two burn transfer via circular orbit-3 (apogee, A1 to apogee, A2)
b) Two burn transfer via circular orbit-4 (perigee, P1 to perigee, P2)
c) Single burn transfer at ‘X’
Calculate ∆V required for each of the above options (i.e. a, b and c). Which
of the three options is most economical? Would the ∆V at point ‘Y’ be
identical in magnitude to that in option ‘c’. What about direction?
Hint (for part ‘c’): r = r cos θ iˆ + r sin θ ˆj and r = V = V x iˆ + V y ˆj
1 2
X
A1 P2 P1 A2
4
Y
8. Consider two schemes for raising orbit of a satellite from an initial circular orbit at an
altitude, h 1 =200km (r 1 = h 1 +R E ) to geostationary circular orbit at an altitude, h f =
36000km (r f = R E +h f ).
1) Traditional Hohmann transfer
2) Bi-elliptic transfer
In the bi-elliptic scheme, after the first burn satellite attains apogee at an altitude,
h 2 =60000km (r 2 =R E +h 2 ). The second burn at this apogee places satellite on apogee
of the second ellipse (see figure 1B) at desired altitude (h f ). The final burn is
performed here to circularize the orbit at ‘r f ’.
Calculate the velocity increment (ΔV) at each burn (ie. ΔV 1 and ΔV f for the Hohmann
transfer and ΔV 1 , ΔV 2 and ΔV f for the Bi-elliptic transfer) and compare the total ‘ΔV’
for the two schemes.
9. Consider two schemes for raising orbit of a satellite from an initial circular orbit at an
altitude, h 1 =200km (r 1 = h 1 +R E ) to geostationary circular orbit at an altitude, h f =
36000km (r f = R E +h f ).
a. Traditional Hohmann transfer (figure below)
b. Electric propulsion
Compare the total ‘ΔV’ for the two schemes.
10. Return mission to an asteroid:
An asteroid has an elliptical orbit about sun with a time period of two years. The
perihelion of the asteroid orbit is almost cotangent to earth orbit which can be
approximated as a circular orbit. A mission is to be designed to send a spacecraft to
land on the asteroid, collect sample asteroid matter and return it back to earth.
Calculate the ‘ΔV’ required to transfer a spacecraft to the asteroid and back to earth’s
orbit. The recovery of spacecraft back on the surface of earth from earth’s orbit is by
ballistic re-entry and requires no propulsion. The data on the asteroid and the sun are
given below:
Mass of asteroid: 5 x 1010 kg
Radius of asteroid: 400m
Mass of sun: 2 x 1030 kg
Mass of earth: 6 x 1024 kg
Gravitational constant: 6.67 3x 10-11m3/kg/s2
Earth Sun
Asteroid orbit
