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BARS 2021

The Dynamics of Orbital Decay

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Author: Tomasz Milewski

Mentor: Dr. Miguel Fiolhais and Dr. Luis Gonzalez-Urbina

Institution: BMCC

Abstract: The objective of this work is to study the phenomenon of orbital decay of satellites in circular low Earth orbit. The dynamics of orbital decay are derived considering atmospheric drag as the only dissipative mechanism. The resulting non-linear first order differential equation for the altitude as a function of time is solved numerically for the isothermal-barotropic atmospheric model. The results are also extended to the same model with a variable scale height, in order to recreate the predictions of the Australian Space Weather Agency orbital reentry model.

 

TomaszMilewskiPosterBARS2021-Tomasz-Milewski

1 Comment

  1. Chris

    Nice presentation. Seems like classic scientific method used: combining theory, computation, and comparison with actual data/fit to conclude if a theory works.