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Numerical investigation of the orbit of Interball‐1
Author(s) -
Nagy I.,
Érdi B.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.200710811
Subject(s) - eccentricity (behavior) , orbit (dynamics) , satellite , physics , orbital elements , elliptic orbit , orbital eccentricity , orbital decay , orbital motion , geodesy , drag , computation , classical mechanics , orbital inclination , mechanics , planet , astrophysics , astronomy , geology , aerospace engineering , mathematics , angular momentum , law , arithmetic , political science , binary number , engineering , algorithm
We investigated the motion of the Earth's artificial satellite Interball‐1 by using a method suitable for the computation of large eccentricity orbits. Though the measured and the computed orbital elements differ from each other within the measured error bound, we found a slight tendency for secular decreasing in the semi‐major axis, caused probably by electromagnetic drag. We analysed the dominant role of the Moon in the variations of the orbital eccentricity, leading to zero perigee height and the end of the lifetime of the satellite. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)