The effect of continuous tangential thrust on the orbital motion and mass loss of a vehicle initially in a circular orbit is investigated analytically. It is shown that, for a thrust-to-weight ratio of greater than 0.16175, escape speed will eventually be reached along an unwinding spiral trajectory. For lower thrust-to-weight ratios, escape speed is never attained, and the flight path oscillates around a logarithmic spiral trajectory. Formulas are obtained for the approximate orbital motion and time of flight along each type of trajectory and for mass loss due to expenditure of rocket propellant.


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    Title :

    Orbital motion under continuous tangential thrust


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    1992-12-01



    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English


    Keywords :



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