Physics In Space Assignment - Year 12

[LukeyD]

Can someone please break this task down as I'm so confused :'(
It's due tomorrow and I would of done it sooner but I had in real life issues :\


Research into the shapes of orbits that exist in our solar system, including the motion of planets, comets, moons and satellites.

I found some information about orbits but I can't really find anything else.


What do they have in common how are they different.

I've got this one covered.

What rules govern how these masses revolve around each other? Give examples of how they apply.

Make a conclusion on What type of orbits would be most preferable for satellite communication, explaining why this orbit is preferable

I have no idea how to do these two. I know that the two laws are Newton's Universal Gravitation and Kepler's three laws but I don't know how they're similar or different?
Can someone please shed some light.

 

[adoado]

Try this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_mechanics

The types of orbits defined by Kepler's equations I believe are circular, parabolic, hyperbolic and elliptic, based on the eccentricity of the orbit. Look up conic sections, as these are the free orbits.

Similarly, there are many transfer orbits, like the Hohmann transfer orbit here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit