- #1
Praestrigiator
- 27
- 2
I'm having trouble with orbItal mechanics, I'm trying to determine the total potential energy of an orbiting satellite, what I've done so far is this:
I know m*g*h is potential energy, but I also know that gravity deceases with distance avoiding to the inverse square law. I know I Just can't use the satellites current Ag because that will increase as it falls towards the earth, and I'm having trouble determining exactly what that is.
This is giving me serious trouble because I want to calculate periapsis or apoapsis given just one of those two, and the velocity at that point.
I know m*g*h is potential energy, but I also know that gravity deceases with distance avoiding to the inverse square law. I know I Just can't use the satellites current Ag because that will increase as it falls towards the earth, and I'm having trouble determining exactly what that is.
This is giving me serious trouble because I want to calculate periapsis or apoapsis given just one of those two, and the velocity at that point.