Orbital mechanics is fascinating. I’ve learned a bit about it for fun, not for profit. I seriously doubt Elon Musk will ever call asking me to design an orbit for him. [1]
One of the things that makes orbital mechanics interesting is that it can be counter-intuitive. For example, atmospheric friction can make a satellite move faster. How can this be? Doesn’t friction always slow things down?
Friction does reduce a satellite’s tangential velocity, causing it to move into a lower orbit, which increases its velocity. It’s weird to think about, but the details are worked out in [2].
Note the date on the article: May 1958. The paper was written in response to Sputnik 1 which launched in October 1957. Parkyn’s described the phenomenon of acceleration due to friction in general, and how it applied to Sputnik in particular.
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[1] I had a lead on a project with NASA once, but it wasn’t orbital mechanics, and the lead didn’t materialize.
[2] D. G. Parkyn. The Effect of Friction on Elliptic Orbits. The Mathematical Gazette. Vol. 42, No. 340 (May, 1958), pp. 96-98
I want to hear more about the NASA project!
The goal of the project was to use mathematical modeling to reduce the number of physical experiments needed in some application. The person who reached out to me about the project died and apparently interest in the project died with him.