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AE-641A Home Work No. 1

For Earth:  = 398600.4 km3/s2, r0 = 6378.14 km.

For Sun:  = 1.327x1011 km3/s2
1 A.U. = 1.495978x108 km.

1. For the following linear, ordinary differential equation:

d2x/dt2 + x = 0

find the two integrals of motion, and derive the closed-form solution for the initial
condition: x(0)=x0, dx/dt(0)=0.

2. Derive the equation of motion of mass m2 with respect to the position from the center
of mass of a two-body problem. What is the result for m1>>m2?

3. Derive the gravitational potential at a point inside a spherical shell of uniform mass
density.

4. Consider three equal mass particles, each located at a vertex of an equilateral triangle.
What angular velocity must be provided to the triangle such that the separation of the
masses remains constant?

5. What is the minimum velocity required for escaping from Earth’s gravity at:
(a) Earth’s surface
(b) Geosynchronous orbit

6. Voyager-I’s current radius and speed relative to the Sun are 140.9 astronomical units
(A.U.) and 17 km/s, respectively. What is the total relative specific energy of the
spacecraft? Has it escaped from Sun’s gravity?

7. The position and velocity vectors of a spacecraft in an Earth centered, equatorial

inertial frame (I,J,K) are the following:

r = 6045I + 3490J (km)

v = −2.457I + 6.618J + 2.533K (km/s)

(a) Determine the angular momentum vector and its magnitude. What is the angle made
by the angular momentum vector with the K axis?
(b) Calculate the total relative specific energy of the spacecraft.

8. The orbital period of an Earth satellite is 106 min. Find the apogee (maximum) altitude
if the perigee (minimum) altitude is 200 km.
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9. Find the orbital period of an Earth satellite if the perigee and apogee altitudes are 250
km and 300 km, respectively.

10. Find the maximum and minimum orbital speeds of the Earth, if the eccentricity of the
Earth’s orbit around Sun is 1/60. What is the mean speed if the mean radius is 1 A.U.?

11. Given the orbital period of Mars around Sun as 687 mean solar (24 hr) days, find the
semi-major axis of Mars orbit in A.U.