What is it about?
How do you arrange for a set of objects, launched sequentially from a satellite, to arrive over the same location on a planet at the same time? One must choose the launch speed and angle of each object. This paper describes how to do that, starting with conservation laws for orbits and developing equations for the required launch velocities of each pellet to achieve a given flight time and re-entry point.
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Why is it important?
The ALE-3 mission, to be launched this decade, promises to create "sky shows" by sequentially launching pellets that will burn up and shine on re-entry. The orbital mechanics involved to calculate the pellets' launch velocities and trajectories has been known for centuries, but this is a new application that I hope will be engaging and accessible to students of physics and aerospace engineering.
Perspectives
This started out as a "recreational" challenge for me to simulate the ALE-3 mission with Systems Tool Kit (STK) - an animation is provided in the supplementary materials. But I realized that the orbital mechanics involved would illuminate the physical principles behind orbital manoeuvres (British spelling!). Aerospace engineering journals did not like the manuscript, but European Journal of Physics was a great fit. Thanks to the reviwers for their kind encouragement and suggestions (even if they did make the paper longer!)
Dr. Philip Blanco
Grossmont College
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Shooting stars on schedule: synchronising re-entry of particles launched from a satellite, European Journal of Physics, June 2024, Institute of Physics Publishing,
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ad4fcb.
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