Orbit determination from radar readings of a satellite in orbit

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the orbit of a satellite using radar readings, specifically focusing on concepts from astrodynamics, including angular momentum, orbital parameters, and eccentricity vector calculations. The original poster expresses difficulty in matching their results with a textbook answer.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the interpretation of radar readings, questioning whether the given distance is from the Earth's surface or its center. There are discussions about the assumptions made regarding the position vector's direction and the mathematical expressions used for calculating the eccentricity vector.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered guidance on potential mathematical errors and suggested simpler expressions for the eccentricity vector. The conversation reflects a mix of interpretations and approaches, with no explicit consensus reached yet.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of the original poster's self-study context and their lack of formal training in Linear Algebra, which may influence their approach to the problem. Additionally, a correction regarding the distance measurement was noted, indicating a potential source of confusion.

bwitt
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Homework Statement
Radar readings determine that an object is located at 7,653.76km with a velocity of 3.1621I-2.3716K km/s. Determine p, e, u0, the longitude of ascending node, the argument of periapsis, the true anomaly at epoch, longitude at epoch, and the latitude of impact
Relevant Equations
see below
Hello everyone! This is from The Fundamentals of Astrodynamics Chapter 2 Questions. I'm doing this as a self-study (and never took Linear Algebra) so my "technique" might be a little sloppy 😖😖

gif.latex?%5Cmathbf%7Br%7D%20%3D%201.gif

DU%5Coplus.gif


Finding specific angular momentum
hbf%7Br%7D%20%5Ctimes%20%5Cmathbf%7Bv%7D%20%3D%200.gif


Finding the orbital parameter

gif.latex?%7C%7C%5Cmathbf%7Bh%7D%7C%7C%20%3D%200.gif

?p%20%3D%20%5Cfrac%7Bh%5E2%7D%7B%5Cmu%7D%20%3D%200.gif


Finding Eccentricity Vector
rac%7B1%7D%7B1.2%7D%29%5Cmathbf%7Br%7D%20-%20%28-0.gif

%3D%20%280.2712K%29%20+%200.36%280.4I%20-%200.gif
+%200.144I-0.108K%20%3D%200.144I%20+%200.gif


7D%7C%7C%20%3D%20%5Csqrt%7B0.144%5E2I%20+%200.gif

63424%7D%20%3D%20%5Csqrt%7B0.04737024%7D%20%3D%200.gif


This doesn't match with the textbook answer that e = 0.820748, I've done this question over and over many times and have never arrived at that answer. I'm looking mainly for hints at what might be going wrong here. Thanks for the help!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Is the 7,653.76km the height above the Earth's surface, or the distance from the Earth's center? If it is a radar reading, I would think the first one. What did you assume?
 
I assumed it was from the Earth's center because in other questions it specified if it was relative to the radar station
 
How did you decide upon the direction of the position vector? It's not specified in your problem statement.

As for e, I think something's gone awry in your math there. You might find it simpler to use the following expression for the eccentricity vector:
$$\vec e = \frac{\vec v \times \vec h}{\mu} - \frac{\vec r}{r}$$

Edit: Fixed a missing \vec in the above expression.
 
Last edited:
gneill said:
How did you decide upon the direction of the position vector? It's not specified in your problem statement.

As for e, I think something's gone awry in your math there. You might find it simpler to use the following expression for the eccentricity vector:
$$e = \frac{\vec v \times \vec h}{\mu} - \frac{\vec r}{r}$$

Ope sorry, the problem statement actually said 7,653.76K km :-p

Wow that is a much simpler form, wish the authors presented it like that... thanks for the help :)
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: berkeman

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
3K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K