Re: X-37B Orbit


Message posted by greatguess on April 15, 2012 at 8:40:33 PST:

the technical answer to your question is sort of "yes". the practical answer is more "no".

the engine can be fired to change relative velocity in any direction which in turn slightly changes the orbit. firing the engine uses fuel which is at a premium; remember that a significant amount of fuel must be kept in reserve for the de-orbit burn assuming the vehicle wants to return to earth. even if fuel were not an issue, the orbit changes are tiny if you are trying to significantly change your orbit to overfly a specific point on the surface of the earth.

visualization of orbital mechanics is rather complicated when you think of it relative to points on the planet; if you were just orbiting a smooth, featureless ball the orbital mechanics becomes a bit easier to visualize.

so, bottom line, everyone is sort of right and wrong at the same time on this subject.


In Reply to: Re: X-37B Orbit posted by RickB on April 15, 2012 at 8:16:11 PST:

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