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  2. Orbital mechanics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics

    The motion of these objects is usually calculated from Newton's laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. Orbital mechanics is a core discipline within space-mission design and control. Celestial mechanics treats more broadly the orbital dynamics of systems under the influence of gravity , including both spacecraft and natural ...

  3. Spacecraft flight dynamics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft_flight_dynamics

    A space vehicle's flight is determined by application of Newton's second law of motion: =, where F is the vector sum of all forces exerted on the vehicle, m is its current mass, and a is the acceleration vector, the instantaneous rate of change of velocity (v), which in turn is the instantaneous rate of change of displacement.

  4. Orbital maneuver - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_maneuver

    The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, or ideal rocket equation, can be useful for analysis of maneuvers by vehicles using rocket propulsion. [2] A rocket applies acceleration to itself (a thrust) by expelling part of its mass at high speed. The rocket itself moves due to the conservation of momentum.

  5. Tsiolkovsky rocket equation - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation

    A rocket's required mass ratio as a function of effective exhaust velocity ratio. The classical rocket equation, or ideal rocket equation is a mathematical equation that describes the motion of vehicles that follow the basic principle of a rocket: a device that can apply acceleration to itself using thrust by expelling part of its mass with high velocity and can thereby move due to the ...

  6. Gravity assist - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist

    A gravity assist, gravity assist maneuver, swing-by, or generally a gravitational slingshot in orbital mechanics, is a type of spaceflight flyby which makes use of the relative movement (e.g. orbit around the Sun) and gravity of a planet or other astronomical object to alter the path and speed of a spacecraft, typically to save propellant and reduce expense.

  7. Space travel under constant acceleration - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_travel_under...

    As a rule of thumb, for a constant acceleration at 1 g (Earth gravity), the journey time, as measured on Earth, will be the distance in light years to the destination, plus 1 year. This rule of thumb will give answers that are slightly shorter than the exact calculated answer, but reasonably accurate.

  8. Geodetic effect - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geodetic_effect

    Fermi-Walker transport preserves this relation. If there is no acceleration, Fermi-Walker transport is just parallel transport along a geodesic and gives the spin precession due to the geodetic effect. For the acceleration due to uniform circular motion in flat Minkowski spacetime, Fermi Walker transport gives the Thomas precession.

  9. Dynamical friction - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamical_friction

    The result of the equation is the gravitational acceleration produced on the object under consideration by the stars or celestial bodies, as acceleration is the ratio of velocity and time. Maxwell's distribution