Hello,
A standard exercise in classical mechanics is to show that when an object is released in the right way from a satellite that is in a circular orbit, that object can end up appearing to orbit the main satellite.
The shape of the orbit as seen in the reference frame of the main satellite is an ellipse. Unlike normal Keplerian orbits, where the attracting mass is at one focus of the ellipse, the main satellite is at the geometric center of the elliptical orbit.
73,
Dan K2QM
P.S. Normally the sub satellites are taken to be beer cans, but this analysis should also work for Cubesats.
From: Ashhar Farhan <farhanbox@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2022 11:57 AM
To: wayne.greene489@gmail.com
Cc: Joseph B. Fitzgerald <jfitzgerald@alum.wpi.edu>; AMSAT BB <amsat-bb@amsat.org>
Subject: [AMSAT-BB] Re: Ten Russian cubesats to be deployed from the ISS
When a satellite is dispensed from a mothership like the ISS, the orbit cant really go too far away due to the nature of orbital mechanics. The iss and the cubesat orbits will have to intersect at least twice. Is there a more precise modeling
of this?
On Fri, Jul 22, 2022, 9:19 PM Wayne Greene <wayne.greene489@gmail.com> wrote: