Launch Vehicles and Orbits

How Rockets Work

Newton's Laws of Motion are:
An object at rest tends to remain
at rest
An object in motion tends to
remain in motion
For every action there is an equal
and opposite reaction

Conservation of Momentum
Newton's Laws are all contained in a more
general principle called conservation of
momentum.
Momentum is mass times velocity
In a system that is not disturbed from
outside, the total momentum stays
constant.

Conservation of Momentum
Means:
If velocity is zero, momentum is zero
(Newton's First Law)
If velocity is not zero, and mass doesn't
change, then velocity doesn't change
(Newton's Second Law)

Conservation of Momentum
and Newtons Third Law
If mass changes somehow, then so does
velocity.
If an object is stationary, and flings off
mass, the rest of the mass moves in the
opposite direction.
The flung off mass has positive
momentum, the rest has negative
momentum, and the total momentum
remains zero (Newton's Third Law).

Conservation of Momentum

Rockets and Jets

Rockets and jets work according to
Newton's Third Law.
They fire mass out at high speed and
acquire velocity in the opposite direction.
They do not need something to push
against. They move because they are
expelling exhaust gases at high speeds.
Tthe rocket or jet is pushing mass away,
and the mass is pushing back (equal and
opposite reaction.)

How Rockets and Jets Differ

Rockets and jets expel mass by burning
fuel.
A jet gets the oxygen for combustion
from the atmosphere
A rocket carries oxygen in some form
with it.
Thus rockets can function outside the
Earth's atmosphere; jets can't.

Rockets are Mostly Fuel (and

Oxygen)
A rocket or jet has to carry all its remaining
fuel with it. (And oxygen, if its a rocket).
Most of the mass of the Space Shuttle is
fuel, and most of that is used to get the
remaining fuel off the ground.
The miles-per-gallon fuel economy of the
Space Shuttle in its first foot off the ground
is pretty terrible!

About Orbits and Satellites

Satellites travel elliptical paths with the
center of the Earth at one focus (Kepler's
First Law)
Inertia causes object to continue moving
in a straight line
Gravity pulls object to Earth
Balance between the two = orbit

Newtons
Mountain

Important Orbits

Low vs. High Inclination

Almost all are Prograde
Polar Orbits for global coverage
Circular Orbits strongly preferred
Constant altitude
Constant speed

Sun-Synchronous
Geosynchronous
12-Hour (GPS)

About Orbits
You do not need to expend fuel to stay in
orbit
Satellites need attitude control fuel to
correct for atmospheric drag, lunar and
solar gravity, etc.
May want thrusters to help maintain orbits
Spin stabilization helps
Once below 200 km, atmospheric braking
leads to re-entry

About Orbits
The focus of a satellite orbit is the center
of the earth
The plane of a satellite orbit always
passes through the center of the earth
There is no such thing as an orbit over the
poles, over a small region, etc.
It is possible to have an orbit over the
equator

Precession
Put sideways force on anything moving in
a circle, it will precess
Precession affects planetary rotation
Precession also affects orbits
We can control precession of satellites by
selecting orbital inclination
Fixed with respect to stars
Fixed with respect to sun

Precession

Precession

Precession

Three Pioneers of Rocketry

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935)
Worked out theoretical problems of
spaceflight

Robert Goddard (1882-1945)

First Liquid Fuel Rocket

Hermann Oberth (1894-1989)

Helped create operational rockets

Robert
Goddard First
LiquidFuel
Rocket,
1926

The V-1

The V-2

From
Sapwood to
Sputnik
An existing rocket, the
SS-6, was used.
The warhead section
was removed
A cluster of four more
SS-6 engines was
bolted around a central
engine
Very Dependable

Sputnik I
October 4, 1957
S- (with) +
put (path) +
-nik (one who) =
Sputnik
Literally, one who
follows the same
path

Early Rockets, Kennedy Space

Center

Early Rockets, Huntsville AL

V-2 Huntsville AL

V-2 shrapnel

V-2 Components

Gemini,
1965

Sensor Technology
Passive (senses only ambient signals)
Active (emits signals)
Imaging
Non-Imaging
Scanning (mechanical or electronic)
Non-scanning

The Single
Most
Valuable
Product of
the Space
Program

Crescent Earth

Himalayas from Space Shuttle

Volcano, Alaska

Fringing
Reefs

Icebergs,
Antarctica

A Noble Myth
In my life, I've seen the images from space of a
blue-white-green world there are no political
lines drawn on this planet.
Luis J. Rodriguez
The border between the United States and Mexico
is an imaginary line. It cannot be seen from space
The Border Zone: A History of Trade between the
United States and Mexico, Julia Albright; Age of
Irony, Winter 2004

You Cant See Borders From Space

Mexican
Border

Mexican
Border

Menominee County, WI

U.S.-Canadian Border

Landsat
View of
Green Bay

Landsat View of Green Bay

Landsat
view of
Washington
D.C.

Radar
Image of
New York
City

Spy Satellite
Views of Soviet
Aircraft Carrier

Spy Satellite
View of
Soviet
Airfield

World Trade Center, September 11, 2001

Pope John Paul II Funeral

Pope John Paul II Funeral

Barack Obamas Inauguration

Barack
Obamas
Inauguration

And Now For

Something
Completely
Different.

Gulf
Stream in
Infrared

Ultraviolet View of Earth

The Ocean Floor From Space

Earth and Moon Together

Really Remote Sensing

An Eclipse of the Sun By Earth