Difference between orbital mechanics and astrodynamics ?

[thor36]

Hello all.
The title of this thread sums up my question - what is the difference between orbital mechanics and astrodynamics ? Or is there a difference at all ?

I have sometimes seen different uses of the terms, for example, on many sites I see " astrodynamics or orbital mechanics is ... " , while on others I see " astrodynamics studies motion of spacecraft ... ". Often terms are used interchangeably, but sometimes some distinctions are made. For example as mentioned, astrodynamics is sometimes mentioned along with spacecraft , while orbital mechanics is with celestial bodies.

Does anyone know how things stand and possibly support it with references ?
Thank you and kind regards, T

 

[Quds Akbar]

According to Wikipedia, there is no difference.
Click on "Astrodynamics" and it will give you the page of Orbital Mechanics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Astrodynamics

 

[thor36]

That's right, and Wikipedia is not the only source that says there is no difference. But to quote Vallado ( Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications ), which quotes "Space Vehicle Design" :

"Astrodynamics is the study of the motion of man-made objects in space, subject to both natural and artificially induced forces."

And astrodynamics really is most cases used only in context of spacecraft . That's why I find it confusing.