SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

UNIT – I - ROCKETS SYSTEM – SAE1402

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 I. Ignition System

An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture. Ignition systems are well known in the
field of internal combustion engines such as those used in petrol (gasoline) engines used to power the
majority of motor vehicles, but they are also used in many other applications such as in oil-fired and
gasfired boilers, rocket engines, etc. Diesel engines rely on air compression for ignition, but usually
also have glow plugs that preheat the combustion chamber to allow starting of the engine in cold
weather. Other engines may use a flame, or a heated tube, for ignition.
Types
1. Magneto systems
2. Switchable systems
3. Battery and coil-operated ignition
4. Modern ignition systems
5. Mechanically timed ignition
6. Electronic ignition
7. Digital electronic ignitions
Magneto systems
Magneto ignition coil. For more details on this topic, see Ignition magneto. The simplest form of
spark ignition is that using a magneto. The engine spins a magnet inside a coil, or, in the earlier
designs, a coil inside a fixed magnet, and also operates a contact breaker, interrupting the current and
causing the voltage to be increased sufficiently to jump a small gap. The spark plugs are connected
directly from the magneto output. Early magnetos had one coil, with the contact breaker (sparking
plug) inside the combustion chamber. In about 1902, Bosch introduced a double-coil magneto, with
a fixed sparking plug, and the contact breaker outside the cylinder. Magnetos are not used in modern
cars, but because they generate their own electricity they are often found on piston-engined aircraft
engines and small engines such as those found in mopeds, lawnmowers, snowblowers, chainsaws,
etc. where a battery-based electrical system is not present for any combination of necessity, weight,
cost, and reliability reasons. Magnetos were used on the small engine's ancestor, the stationary "hit
and miss" engine which was used in the early twentieth century, on older gasoline or distillate farm
tractors before battery starting and lighting became common, and on aircraft piston engines.
Magnetos were used in these engines because their simplicity and self-contained operation was more
reliable, and because magnetos weighed less than having a battery and dynamo or alternator.
Aircraft engines usually have dual magnetos to provide redundancy in the event of a failure, and to
increase efficiency by thoroughly and quickly burning the fuel air mix from both sides towards the
center. The Wright brothers used a magneto invented in 1902 and built for them in 1903 by Dayton,
Ohio inventor, Vincent Groby Apple.[1] Some older automobiles had both a magneto system and a
battery actuated system (see below) running simultaneously to ensure proper ignition under all
conditions with the limited performance each system provided at the time. This gave the benefits of
easy starting (from the battery system) with reliable sparking at speed (from the magneto). Switchable

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systems Switchable magneto ignition circuit, with starting battery. The output of a magneto depends
on the speed of the engine, and therefore starting can be problematic. Some magnetos include an
impulse system, which spins the magnet quickly at the proper moment, making easier starting at slow
cranking speeds. Some engines, such as aircraft but also the Ford Model T, used a system which
relied on non rechargeable dry cells, (similar to a large flashlight battery, and which was not
maintained by a charging system as on modern automobiles) to start the engine or for starting and
running at low speed. The operator would manually switch the ignition over to magneto operation
for high speed operation. To provide high voltage for the spark from the low voltage batteries, a
'tickler' was used, which was essentially a larger version of the once widespread electric buzzer. With
this apparatus, the direct current passes through an electromagnetic coil which pulls open a pair of
contact points, interrupting the current; the magnetic field collapses, the spring-loaded points close
again, the circuit is reestablished, and the cycle repeats rapidly. The rapidly collapsing magnetic field,
however, induces a high voltage across the coil which can only relieve itself by arcing across the
contact points; while in the case of the buzzer this is a problem as it causes the points to oxidize
and/or weld together, in the case of the ignition system this becomes the source of the high voltage
to operate the spark plugs. In this mode of operation, the coil would "buzz" continuously, producing
a constant train of sparks.
The entire apparatus was known as the 'Model T spark coil' (in contrast to the modern ignition coil
which is only the actual coil component of the system). Long after the demise of the Model T as
transportation they remained a popular self-contained source of high voltage for electrical home
experimenters, appearing in articles in magazines such as Popular Mechanics and projects for school
science fairs as late as the early 1960s. In the UK these devices were commonly known as trembler
coils and were popular in cars pre-1910, and also in commercial vehicles with large engines until
around 1925 to ease starting. The Model T (built into the flywheel) differed from modern
implementations by not providing high voltage directly at the output; the maximum voltage produced
was about 30 volts, and therefore also had to be run through the spark coil to provide high enough
voltage for ignition, as described above, although the coil would not "buzz" continuously in this case,
only going through one cycle per spark. In either case, the low voltage was switched to the appropriate
spark plug by the 'timer' mounted on the front of the engine. This performed the equivalent function
to the modern distributor, although by directing the low voltage, not the high voltage as for the
distributor. The timing of the spark was adjustable by rotating this mechanism through a lever
mounted on the steering column. As the precise timing of the spark depends on both the 'timer' and
the trembler contacts within the coil, this is less consistent than the breaker points of the later
distributor. However, for the low speed and the low compression of such early engines, this imprecise
timing was acceptable.
Battery and coil-operated ignition
Inductive discharge ignition With the universal adoption of electrical starting for automobiles, and
the availability of a large battery to provide a constant source of electricity, magneto systems were
abandoned for systems which interrupted current at battery voltage, using an ignition coil (a
transformer) to step the voltage up to the needs of the ignition, and a distributor to route the ensuing
pulse to the correct spark plug at the correct time. The first reliable battery operated ignition was
developed by the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. (Delco) and introduced in the 1910 Cadillac.
This ignition was developed by Charles Kettering and was a wonder in its day. It consisted of a single
coil, points (the switch), a capacitor and a distributor set up to allocate the spark from the ignition
coil timed to the correct cylinder. The coil was basically a transformer to step up the low battery

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voltage (6 or 12 V) to the high ignition voltage required to jump a spark plug gap. The points allow
the coil magnetic field to build. When the points open by a cam arrangement, the magnetic field
collapses and a large output voltage (20 kV or greater) is produced. The capacitor has two functions.
Its main function is to form a series resonant circuit with the ignition coil. During resonance, energy
is repeatedly transferred to the secondary side until the energy is exhausted. As a result of this
resonance the duration of the spark is sustained and so implements a good flame front in the air/fuel
mixture. The capacitor, by default minimizes arcing at the contacts at the point of opening. This
reduces contact burning and maximizes point life. The Kettering system became the primary ignition
system for many years in the automotive industry due to its lower cost, higher reliability and relative
simplicity.

 Modern ignition systems

 The ignition system is typically controlled by a key operated Ignition switch.

 Mechanically timed ignition

 Distributor cap
Most four-stroke engines have used a mechanically timed electrical ignition system. The heart of the
system is the distributor. The distributor contains a rotating cam driven by the engine's drive, a set of
breaker points, a condenser, a rotor and a distributor cap. External to the distributor is the ignition
coil, the spark plugs and wires linking the distributor to the spark plugs and ignition coil. The system
is powered by a lead-acid battery, which is charged by the car's electrical system using a dynamo or
alternator. The engine operates contact breaker points, which interrupt the current to an induction coil
(known as the ignition coil). The ignition coil consists of two transformer windings — the primary
and secondary. These windings share a common magnetic core. An alternating current in the primary
induces an alternating magnetic field in the core and hence an alternating current in the secondary.
The ignition coil's secondary has more turns than the primary. This is a step-up transformer, which
produces a high voltage from the secondary winding. The primary winding is connected to the battery
(usually through a current-limiting ballast resistor). Inside the ignition coil one end of each winding
is connected together. This common point is taken to the capacitor/contact breaker junction. The other
end of the secondary is connected to the rotor. The distributor cap sequences the high voltage to the
respective spark plug. Ignition circuit diagram for mechanically timed ignition The ignition firing
sequence begins with the points (or contact breaker) closed. A steady current flows from the battery,
through the current-limiting resistor, through the primary coil, through the closed breaker points and
finally back to the battery. This current produces a magnetic field within the coil's core. This magnetic
field forms the energy reservoir that will be used to drive the ignition spark. As the engine turns, the
cam inside the distributor rotates. The points ride on the cam so that as a piston reaches the top of the
engine's compression cycle, the cam causes the breaker points to open. This breaks the primary
winding's circuit and abruptly stops the current through the breaker points. Without the steady current
through the points, the magnetic field generated in the coil immediately collapses. This severe rate
of change of magnetic flux induces a high voltage in the coil's secondary windings. At the same time,
current exits the coil's primary winding and begins to charge up the capacitor (condenser) that lies
across the open breaker points. This capacitor and the coil’s primary windings form an oscillating LC
circuit. This LC circuit produces a damped, oscillating current which bounces energy between the
capacitor’s electric field and the ignition coil’s magnetic field.

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The oscillating current in the coil’s primary produces an oscillating magnetic field in the coil. This
extends the high voltage pulse at the output of the secondary windings. This continues beyond the
time of the initial field collapse pulse. The oscillation continues until the circuit’s energy is consumed.
The ignition coil's high voltage output is directed to the distributor cap. A turning rotor, located on
top of the breaker cam within the distributor cap, sequentially directs the output of the secondary
winding to the spark plugs. The high voltage from the coil's secondary (typically 20,000 to 50,000
volts) causes a spark to form across the gap of the spark plug. This, in turn, ignites the compressed
air-fuel mixture within the engine. It is the creation of this spark which consumes the energy that was
stored in the ignition coil’s magnetic field. The flat twin cylinder 1948 Citroën 2CV used one double
ended coil without a distributor, and just contact breakers, in a wasted spark system. Citroen 2CV
wasted spark ignition system Some two-cylinder motorcycles and motor scooters had two contact
points feeding twin coils each connected directly to the spark plug without a distributor; e.g. the BSA
Thunderbolt and Triumph Tigress.
High performance engines with eight or more cylinders that operate at high r.p.m. (such as those
used in motor racing) demand both a higher rate of spark and a higher spark energy than the simple
ignition circuit can provide. This problem is overcome by using either of these adaptations: Two
complete sets of coils, breakers and condensers can be provided - one set for each half of the engine,
which is typically arranged in V-8 or V-12 configuration. Although the two ignition system halves
are electrically independent, they typically share a single distributor which in this case contains two
breakers driven by the rotating cam, and a rotor with two isolated conducting planes for the two high
voltage inputs. A single breaker driven by a cam and a return spring is limited in spark rate by the
onset of contact bounce or float at high rpm. This limit can be overcome by substituting for the
breaker a pair of breakers that are connected electrically in series but spaced on opposite sides of the
cam so they are driven out of phase. Each breaker then switches at half the rate of a single breaker
and the "dwell" time for current buildup in the coil is maximized since it is shared between the
breakers. The Lamborghini V-8 engine has both these adaptations and therefore uses two ignition
coils and a single distributor that contains 4 contact breakers. A distributor-based system is not greatly
different from a magneto system except that more separate elements are involved. There are also
advantages to this arrangement. For example, the position of the contact breaker points relative to the
engine angle can be changed a small amount dynamically, allowing the ignition timing to be
automatically advanced with increasing revolutions per minute (RPM) or increased manifold
vacuum, giving better efficiency and performance. However it is necessary to check periodically the
maximum opening gap of the breaker(s), using a feeler gauge, since this mechanical adjustment
affects the "dwell" time during which the coil charges, and breakers should be re-dressed or replaced
when they have become pitted by electric arcing. This system was used almost universally until the
late 1970s, when electronic ignition systems started to appear.
Electronic ignition
The disadvantage of the mechanical system is the use of breaker points to interrupt the low-voltage
high-current through the primary winding of the coil; the points are subject to mechanical wear where
they ride the cam to open and shut, as well as oxidation and burning at the contact surfaces from the
constant sparking. They require regular adjustment to compensate for wear, and the opening of the
contact breakers, which is responsible for spark timing, is subject to mechanical variations. In
addition, the spark voltage is also dependent on contact effectiveness, and poor sparking can lead to
lower engine efficiency. A mechanical contact breaker system cannot control an average ignition
current of more than about 3 A while still giving a reasonable service life, and this may limit the

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power of the spark and ultimate engine speed. Example of a basic electronic ignition system.
Electronic ignition (EI) solves these problems. In the initial systems, points were still used but they
handled only a low current which was used to control the high primary current through a solid state
switching system. Soon, however, even these contact breaker points were replaced by an angular
sensor of some kind - either optical, where a vaned rotor breaks a light beam, or more commonly
using a Hall effect sensor, which responds to a rotating magnet mounted on the distributor shaft. The
sensor output is shaped and processed by suitable circuitry, then used to trigger a switching device
such as a thyristor, which switches a large current through the coil.
The first electronic ignition (a cold cathode type) was tested in 1948 by Delco-Remy, while Lucas
introduced a transistorized ignition in 1955, which was used on BRM and Coventry Climax Formula
One engines in 1962. The aftermarket began offering EI that year, with both the AutoLite Electric
Transistor 201 and Tung-Sol EI-4 (thyratron capacitive discharge) being available.[4] Pontiac
became the first automaker to offer an optional EI, the breakerless magnetic pulse-triggered
Delcotronic, on some 1963 models; it was also available on some Corvettes. The first commercially
available all solid-state (SCR) capacitive discharge ignition was manufactured by Hyland Electronics
in Canada also in 1963. Ford fitted a Lucas system on the Lotus 25s entered at Indianapolis the next
year, ran a fleet test in 1964, and began offering optional EI on some models in 1965.Beginning in
1958, Earl W. Meyer at Chrysler worked on EI, continuing until 1961 and resulting in use of EI on
the company's NASCAR hemis in 1963 and 1964.

II. Ignition in rockets

The ignition system in the rocket will have
1) The combustion in a solid propellant motor involves exceedingly complex reactions
taking place in the solid, liquid, and gas phases of a heterogeneous mixture.
2) Motor ignition must usually be complete in a fraction of a second for all but the very
large motors The motor pressure rises to an equilibrium state in a very short time.
3) Solid propellant ignition consists of a series of complex rapid events
4) The igniter in a solid rocket motor generates the heat and gas required for motor
ignition.

•Filling the
Combustion
•Start of Ignition Chamber •Currently
ELECTRICAL MOTOR Expanded Jet
•Spreading the •No Effects like
SIGNAL GRAIN Over Pressure JET
flame over •Nozzle
(IMPULSE) entire surface SURFACE • Hang Fire Expansion
•Combustion
Oscillations

Fig-1: The process of ignition in rocket

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 III. Types of Solid Propellant Igniters
Igniters are devices or assemblies that produce a specific level of heat in order to initiate a larger
combustion reaction. They are produced in simple and complex designs according to application
use. Types of igniters are pyrotechnic, nozzle cap, hot surface and spark (or electrode) devices.
1. Pyrotechnic Igniters
 Pyrotechnic igniters are defined as igniters using pyrotechnic composition or energetic
propellant like chemical formulations. Pyrotechnic igniters are frequently controlled
electrically.
 They are initiated to ignite materials.
 Thermites are a pyrotechnic mixture of metal powder and oxide, which generates a reaction
called a thermite response. While this reaction is not typically explosive, it can produce
rapid bursts of high temperatures under the right conditions. This reaction’s higher
temperatures are generally concentrated on a very small area for a short period of time.
Additional Considerations
 These devices may require maintenance to adhere to safety standards, which should be
verified through the manufacturer.

Fig-2: The pyrotechnic igniter

2. Nozzle Cap Based Igniter

Nozzle cap-based igniters are very useful in complicated rocket motors where igniters can not be
mounted at any other location. As it is at the nozzle end, propellant loading at the head

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 Fig-2: The nozzle cap igniter
3. Hot Surface Igniters or Ceramic Igniters
Invented in 1969, these igniters are composed of advanced ceramic materials. These devices are
also the most commonly used electronic ignition systems today. They are generally employed for
applications such as space furnaces and heaters. Hot surface igniters are commonly used for their
reliability and durability potential.
Hot Surface Igniter Configuration
The two composition materials generally associated with hot surface igniters are silicon
carbide and silicon nitride.
• Silicon carbide is a compound of carbon and silicon and is characterized by a low density
and oxidation resistance. This compound, seen in igniters, has good high temperature
strength.
• Silicon nitride is a chemical compound of silicon and nitrogen. It is a hard ceramic with a
high strength and is durable over a broad temperature range. Its notable characteristics
include durability over a high temperature range.

Fig-3: The hot surface igniter

Additional Considerations
 Because these igniters are made of ceramics, they are considered durable and thermally
robust and may last from 3-5 years.

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  It gradually weaken over time and use and will eventually generate less heat than their full
potential; they should be replaced when this occurs. Hot surface igniters may also
experience premature burnout.
4. Spark Igniters
Spark igniters are also known as flame igniters, according to their application. They are electric and
no gas leaks are involved. Spark igniters function as a device that ignites compressed fuels, such as
aerosol gas, petroleum gas that is generally liquefied, and ethanol. Some manufacturers produce
spark igniters (also called spark plugs) that produce an ultra thrust ignition, which provides reduced
emissions and a faster start.
A spark plug may be considered either hot or cold. The difference is hot spark plugs generally hold
more heat in the physical tip of the spark plug, while cold generate more heat out of the tip and
lower its temperature.

Fig-4: Spark igniter

Spark Igniter Configuration
 Spark igniters are capable of igniting more than one burner at a time, and they can be
controlled by an on and off switch. The spark is produced at a set of make and break
contacts.
 These are made of tungsten for extended durability. Tungsten is a steel gray metal that is
distinguished by its robust physical properties. It has the highest melting point of all metals
it its pure form,
Additional Considerations
 A certain energy level must be maintained or the spark will dissipate.
 Manufacturers of these igniters suggest inspecting coloring of the tip (which should appear
light brown) of the igniter block to ensure proper function.

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 IV. Types of Liquid Propellant Igniters

Hypergolic Ignition
 Hypergolic igniters use a combination of hypergolic reactants (hypergols) which ignite
spontaneously upon contact.
 In hypergolically ignited motors, initiation of combustion may occur simultaneous with or just
prior to main propellant ignition.
 Common hypergolic propellant combinations include monomethyl hydrazine, hydrazine, and
unsymetric dimethlhydrazine paired with Nitrogen Tetroxide or Nitric Acid.
 Example : The Rocketdyne F1 used on the Saturn V vehicle as well as the SpaceX Merlin engine

Fig-5: Hypergolic igniter

Augmented Spark Ignition
 Augmented spark ignition, systems such as that shown in Figure are essentially liquid bi-
propellant engines with flow rates low enough to allow for direct spark initiation within a separate
small igniter combustion chamber.
 Combustion of the igniter reactants then builds the necessary power release level to ensure
reliable and timely ignition of the main propellant. Precedent exists for using high voltage
electrostatic arc type ignition sources to the light the main engine propellants

Fig-5: Augmented Spark igniter

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Igniter Design Consideration
The ignition will be successful once enough grain surface is ignited and should be burning,
The motor will continue to raise its own pressure to the operating chamber pressure. The
critical process seems to be a gas-phase reaction above the burning surface, when propellant
vapours or decomposition products interact with each other and with the igniter gas products.
If the igniter is not powerful enough, some grain surfaces may burn for a short time, The flame
will be extinguished.
Combustion Chamber Design
Spherical chambers give the least internal surface area and mass per unit chamber volume; they are
expensive to build and several have been tried. Today we prefer a cylindrical chamber (or slightly
tapered cone frustum) with a flat injector and a converging-diverging nozzle The volume has to be
large enough for adequate mixing, evaporation, and complete combustion of propellants. Chamber
volumes vary for different propellants with the time delay necessary to vaporize and activate the
propellants and with the speed of reaction of the propellant combination. When the chamber volume
is too small, combustion is incomplete and the performance is poor. The chamber diameter and
volume can influence the cooling requirements. If the chamber volume and the chamber diameter
are large, the heat transfer rates to the walls will be reduced, the area exposed to heat will be large,
and the walls are somewhat thicker. There is an optimum chamber volume and diameter where the
total heat absorbed by the walls will be a minimum. Manufacturing considerations favour a simple
chamber geometry, such as a cylinder with a double cone bow-tie-shaped nozzle. In some
applications the length of the chamber and the nozzle relate directly to the overall length of the
vehicle. A large-diameter but short chamber can allow a somewhat shorter vehicle with a lower
structural inert vehicle mass. Low cost materials, and simple fabrication processes. The gas pressure
drop for accelerating the combustion products within the chamber should be a minimum; any pressure
reduction at the nozzle inlet reduces the exhaust velocity

V. Fuel Injectors for rockets

The functions of the injector are similar to those of a carburetor of an internal combustion engine.
The injector has to introduce and meter the flow of liquid propellants to the combustion chamber,
cause the liquids to be broken up into small droplets (a process called atomization). Distribute and
mix the propellants in such a manner that a correctly proportioned mixture of fuel and oxidizer will
result, with uniform propellant mass flow and composition over the chamber cross section.
Single or Self Impingement
The injection hole pattern on the face of the injector is closely related to the internal manifolds or
feed passages within the injector. These provide for the distribution of the propellant from the
injector inlet to all the injection holes.

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 Fig-6: Single or Self Impingement
Double or Duel Impingement
The two liquid streams then form a region which breaks up into droplets.

Fig-7: Double or Duel Impingement

Triple Impingement
The three liquid streams then form a region which breaks up into droplets

Fig-8: Triple Impingement

Non -Impingement or Shower Head type

The non-impinging or shower head injector employs non impinging streams of propellant usually
emerging normal to the face of the injector. It relies on turbulence and diffusion to achieve mixing.
The German World War II V-2 rocket used this type of injector. This type is now not used, because
it requires a large chamber volume for good combustion

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 Fig-9: Non -Impingement type

Swirl type Injectors

The circumferential velocity component is first generated as the propellant enters through helical or
tangential inlets producing a thin, swirling liquid sheet. A gas-filled hollow core is then formed along
the centreline inside the injector due to centrifugal force of the liquid sheet. Because of the presence
of the gas core, the discharge coefficient is generally low

Fig-10: Swirl type

VI. Propellant Tank

In liquid bipropellant rocket engine systems propellants are stored in one or more oxidizer
tanks and one or more fuel tanks. In monopropellant rocket engine systems have, of course,
only one set of propellant tanks. There are also one or more high-pressure gas tanks, the
gas being used to pressurize the propellant tanks. Tanks can be arranged in a variety of
ways, and the tank design can be used to exercise some control over the change in the
location of the vehicle's center of gravity.

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 Fig-11: Propellant tank types
Propellant Slosh
Propellant slosh refers to the movement of liquid inside another moving object or liquid.“Inertial
waves" and can be an important effect in spinning spacecraft dynamics. Liquid slosh inmicrogravity
is relevant to spacecraft, most commonly Earth-orbiting satellites, and must take account of liquid
surface tension which can alter the shape of the liquid slug.Propellant slosh can introduce uncertainty
in spacecraft attitude which is often called jitter. Similar phenomena can cause pogo oscillation and
can result in structural failure of space vehicle.
SLOSHSAT-FLEVO (Sloshsat Facility for Liquid Experimentation and Verification in Orbit) is a
microsatellite launched to investigate the dynamics of fluids in microgravity

Fig-11: SLOSHSAT-FLEVO
Multiple sensors were used to monitor the behavior of water in an instrumented tank and how sloshing
affects the attitude control of launchers and space vehicles.The project is a joint program between
ESA, the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes, and the Israel Space Agency.Launched
on 12 February 2005
Propellant Hammering for rockets
“Hydraulic Shock” is a pressure surge or shockwave resulting when a fluid (usually a liquid but
sometimes also a gas) in motion is forced to stop or change direction suddenly (momentum change).

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The reversed momentum then continues to multiply the further it travels before being stopped. This
pressure wave can cause major problems, from noise and vibration to pipe rupture or collapse. It is
possible to reduce the effects of the water hammer pulses with accumulators, expansion tanks, surge
tanks, blowoff valves, and other features.The effects can be avoided by ensuring that no valves will
close too quickly arranged with significant flow.

Fig-12: Hammering
Geysering
“Geysering” is applied to the specific phenomenon that occurs in a liquid system when a column of
liquid in long vertical lines is expelled by the release of vapour at a rate in excess of that rate which
may occur as a normal function of bubble release.
Several approaches were conceived as possibilities to reduce and/or eliminate geysering.
These included:
1) Insulation
2) Refrigeration
3) Inert gas in-jection (helium)
4) External recirculation lines
5) Internal recirculation lines
6) Cross-feed recirculation lines
7) Check valve (shock elimination);
8) Sub-cooled topping; and
9) Line surface treatment.

VII. COMBUSTION INSTABILITY

A solid propellant rocket is formed by four main components. A case containing the solid propellant
and withstanding internal pressure when the rocket is operating. The solid propellant charge (or
grain), which is usually bonded to the inner wall of the case and occupies before ignition the greater
part of its volume. When burning, the solid propellant is transformed into hot combustion products.
The volume occupied by the combustion products is called combustion chamber. The nozzle channels
the discharge of the combustion products and because of its shape accelerates them to supersonic
velocity. The igniter, which can be a pyrotechnic device or a small rocket, starts the rocket operating
when an electrical signal is received.

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Two main categories of propellant grains
Double Base: A homogeneous propellant grain, usually nitrocellulose dissolved in nitroglycerin.
Both ingredients are explosive and act as a combined fuel, oxidizer and binder
Composite: A heterogeneous propellant grain with oxidizer crystals and powdered fuel held together
in a matrix of synthetic rubber binder.Less hazardous to manufacture and handle

Fig-13: Combustion Instabilty

The critical technologies concern the propellant itself, the propellant grain design, the thermal
insulation, the nozzle design and the case. Besides, another well known difficulty is related to the
near impossibility to perform detailed measurement inside the combustion chamber, due to the severe
conditions prevailing there
Burning Rate
Propellant burning rate plays a central role in motor operation. That is why perfect control of burning
rate is absolutely mandatory.
Steady State Regimes
Normal (regular) regime: burning rate is depending on only two parameters: pressure and initial
temperature. It is known that burning rate can change with the propellant temperature. Since only
a very thin layer of the propellant is usually affected by the chemical transformation during the
combustion process, a good assumption is that the initial grain temperature (considered as uniform)
is an external parameter, without variation during operation
Erosive burning regime:
If the flow above the combustion surface is fast, it is possible to observe an increase in the burning
rate for a given pressure (and, less frequently, a decrease in the burning rate for some double base
propellants).The convective thermal flux to the combustion surface due to the interaction between
flow turbulence and flames.In this condition, burning rate is no longer pure feature of the propellant
but a property mixing propellant and flow. Erosive burning can be responsible of a pressure overshoot
at ignition.

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 Fig-14: Grain Configuration
Unsteady Regimes
When pressure or more generally the conditions above the combustion surface are changing very
rapidly, direct dependence of burning rate on instantaneous parameters is no longer right; time is also
involved. Several situations bring into play unsteady burning rate, essentially the transient phases
(ignition and operation end) and the instability. The common approach is to make the distinction
between linear burning rate and non-linear burning rate. Linear burning rate corresponds to small
perturbations of all the parameters around a steady state and it is typically the case for the low level
instability.

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 SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

UNIT – II - AERODYNAMICS OF ROCKETS -SAE1402

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 I. Airframe Components of the Rocket
The structural system, or frame, is similar to the fuselage of an airplane. The frame is made from very
strong but light weight materials, like titanium or aluminium, and usually employs long "stringers"
which run from the top to the bottom which are connected to "hoops" which run around the
circumference. The "skin" is then attached to the stringers and hoops to form the basic shape of the
rocket. The skin may be coated with a thermal protection system to keep out the heat of air friction
during flight and to keep in the cold temperatures needed for certain fuels and oxidizers. Fins are
attached to some rockets at the bottom of the frame to provide stability during the flight.

Fig 1: Airframe components of the Rocket

The payload system of a rocket depends on the rocket's mission. The earliest payloads on rockets
were fireworks for celebrating holidays. The payload of the German V2, shown in the figure, was
several thousand pounds of explosives. Following World War II, many countries developed guided
ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads for payloads. The same rockets were modified to
launch satellites with a wide range of missions; communications, weather monitoring, spying,
planetary exploration, and observatories, like the Hubble Space Telescope. Special rockets were
developed to launch people into earth orbit and onto the surface of the Moon.
The guidance system of a rocket may include very sophisticated sensors, on-board computers, radars,
and communication equipment to manoeuvre the rocket in flight. Many different methods have been
developed to control rockets in flight. The V2 guidance system included small vanes in the exhaust
of the nozzle to deflect the thrust from the engine. Modern rockets typically rotate the nozzle to
manoeuvre the rocket. The guidance system must also provide some level of stability so that the
rocket does not tumble in flight.

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 II. Forces Acting on the Rocket
The forces acting on a rocket are the thrust, the aerodynamic forces, the gravitational attractions, the
wind and solar radiation pressure. The two last forces are usually small and are therefore neglected.
In this study, the rocket trajectory is considered two dimensional. This assumption has been made
because the tool developed to simulate the rocket trajectory has to be relatively simple and fast. Also
this tool is used for making preliminary estimates and so a two dimensional problem is enough for
this study. Thus, the trajectory is two dimensional and is contained in a fixed plane. The body-fixed
coordinate system is the frame of reference of the rocket. The x-axis corresponds to the longitudinal
axis of the rocket, the y-axis is perpendicular to the x-axis in the lateral plane.

Fig 2: Various phases of the Rocket

Ascent Phase
A typical launcher starts its mission locked to the Launch pad. The engines are not yet ignited,
or the thrust provided is still lower than the vehicle weight. For solid propulsion, the time between
ignition and lift off is extremely short (less than 1 s). In the case of liquid propulsion, this time may
be longer, allowing the verification of the correct engine operations, before releasing the vehicle.The
first phase is a vertical lift off, required to gain velocity before the gravity turn phase and avoid any
contact with the launch pad tower like 170-200 meters. The duration of the ascent phase varies from
vehicle to vehicle and the current tendencies is to decrease it, because of the developments made in
technology. The necessary initial conditions include the flight path angle equal to 90(89.5 deg) and
velocity zero.
Gravity Turn
A launch vehicle typically starts its ascent with a vertical rise and in order to reach a horizontal
position at burnout, the vehicle has to turn and this is automatically done by dynamics, in what is
termed a gravity turn trajectory, or the pitch over maneuver.After the vertical rise, the vehicle is
nudged during a certain amount of time in order to reach a horizontal position at burnout. The pitch

3
over maneuver has to be executed in order to minimize the gravity losses, as during the vertical
ascension the gravity directly acts against the thrust of the rocket, and also the pitch over should be
applied when the vertical velocity is small in order to reduce the aerodynamic losses during the
maneuver
T = Thrust of launch vehicle [N]
D = Drag of the launch vehicle [N]
g = Acceleration due to gravity [m/s2]
L = Lift of the launch vehicle [N]
m = Mass of the vehicle [kg]
α= Angle of attack [deg]
The angle between the Velocity vector (Direction of flight) and Thrust Direction
θ = Pitch angle [deg]
The angle between the Horizontal reference (local horizon) and Thrust direction
γ = Fight path angle [deg]
The angle between the Horizontal reference (local horizon) and Velocity vector.
i.e. the sum of angle of attack and pitch angle.
𝛾 =𝛼+𝜃
The Newton’s equation of motion considered are
𝒎𝒂𝒙 = −𝑫 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜶 − 𝑳 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜶 + 𝑻 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜶 − 𝒎𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜽
𝒎𝒂𝒚 = −𝑫 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜶 + 𝑳 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜶 − 𝑻 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜶 − 𝒎𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽

where
𝑎𝑥 = Acceleration projected on the rocket’s longitudinal axis [m/s2]
𝑎𝑦 = Acceleration projected on the rocket’s lateral axis [m/s2]

Assumptions
1) Angle of attack is smaller & equal to zero and so the Lift becomes equal to zero.
2) The flight path angle is now the pitch angle.
3) Thrust aligned with velocity vector (α = 0)

Finally, the system of equations now becomes,

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 𝒅𝒙
= 𝒗 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜸
𝒅𝒕

𝒅𝒉
= 𝒗 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜸
𝒅𝒕

𝒅𝑽 (𝑻−𝑫)
= − 𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜸
𝒅𝒕 𝒎

𝒅𝜸 𝒗𝟐
𝑽 = −𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜸 + 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜸
𝒅𝒕 𝒓𝟎 + 𝒉

where
𝑟0 = radius of the earth [m]
ℎ = Altitude [m]
𝑥 = Ground range [m]
𝑉 = Launch vehicle velocity [m/s]

Free Flight Phase

As the vehicle emerges from the atmosphere a better trajectory than the gravity turn can
be used. It has a (present) position and velocity, and it is desired to achieve a different position and
velocity at thrust termination. The only two forces that can cause the vehicle to accomplish the desired
position and velocity changes are thrust and gravity.
Coast Phase
The coast phases are performed between the jettison of a stage and the ignition of the next
one. So the propagation of the trajectory is only influenced by the gravitational force, in real cases
aerodynamic forces need to be considered, but in this case as we know there is no angle of attack
during atmospheric flight so they can be disregarded. The coast phases are often used for injection
into GTO and for interplanetary trajectories, where the constant thrust can’t be applied.

III. Rocket’s Stability

During the flight of rocket, gusts of wind or thrust instabilities, can cause the rocket to "wobble", or
change its attitude in flight. Poorly built or designed rockets can also become unstable in flight. This
lesson is about what makes a rocket unstable in flight and what can be done to improve its stability.
A rocket in flight can move two ways; it can translate, or change its location from one point to
another, and it can rotate, meaning that it can roll around on its axis.

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Roll
Most rockets are symmetric about a line from the tip of the nose to the center of the nozzle exit. We
will call this line the roll axis and motion about this axis is called a rolling motion.The center of
gravity lies along the roll axis.

Fig 2: Roll, Yaw & Pitch

Yaw and Pitch
When a rocket wobbles from side to side, this movement is called a yaw motion. A pitch motion is
an up or down movement of the nose of the rocket.

Center of Gravity – CG
As a rocket flies through the air, it both translates and rotates. The rotation occurs about a point called
the center of gravity, which is the average location of the weight of the rocket.

Fig 3: CG of Rocket
Center of Pressure – CP
The average location of the pressure on the rocket is called the center of pressure. The parts of the
rocket that influences the location of the center of pressure the most are the fins.

Fig 4: CP of Rocket

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If the center of gravity is in front of the center of pressure, the rocket will return to its initial flight
conditions if it is disturbed. This is called a restoring force because the forces "restore" the rocket to
its initial condition and the rocket is said to be stable
If the center of gravity and the center of pressure are in the same location, it is called neutral
stability.A rocket with neutral stability may make a stable or unstable flight depending on the forces
acting on it.

Fig 5: Calculation of CG and CP

If the center of pressure is behind the center of gravity, the lift and drag forces maintain their
directions but the direction of the torque generated by the forces is reversed. This is called a de-
stabilizing force. Any small displacement of the nose generates forces that cause the displacement
to increase. Such a flight condition is unstable
Correcting Unstable Flight
To move the Center of Gravity:
◦ Add or remove weight in the nose cone.
◦ Redistribute the Payload
◦ Increase or decrease airframe length.
To move the Center of Pressure:
◦ Increase or reduce the fin size.

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 ◦ Change the shape of the fins.
◦ Change the location of the fins.
◦ Increase or decrease airframe length/diameter.
One Caliber Stability
The best separation between the center of gravity is for the CP to be at least one body tube diameter
in front of the CG. This is called one caliber stability.
Atmospheric Drag

Almost factor 30

Fig 6: Calculation of CD

CD : Drag coefficient. Contains all complex dependencies like air compressibility, viscosity
body shape and angle-of-attack.
A : Reference area, typically the base diameter of the nose. Different A, affect the value of C D.
ʠ) : Density of the atmosphere of consideration (typically 1.23kg/m3 for air at sea-level).
v : Rocket speed

IV. MONTE CARLO SIMULATION

Monte Carlo methods are a widely used class of computational algorithms for simulating the behavior
of various physical and mathematical systems, and for other computations.Monte Carlo algorithm is
often a numerical Monte Carlo method used to find solutions to mathematical problems (which may
have many variables) that cannot easily be solved, (e.g. integral calculus, or other numerical
methods).

8
A Monte Carlo simulation is a statistical simulation technique that provides approximate solutions to
problems expressed mathematically. It utilizes a sequence of random numbers to perform the
simulation.This technique can be used in different domains: complex integral computations,
economics, making decisions in specific complex problems.
In general, Monte Carlo Simulation is roughly composed of five steps:
1. Set up probability distributions: what is the probability distribution that will be
considered in the simulation
2. Build cumulative probability distributions
3. Establish an interval of random numbers for each variable
4. Generate random numbers: only accept numbers that satisfies a given condition.
5. Simulate trials
The uncontrolled trajectory which is from the missile ejected from the launcher to the missile
received the control instruction is defined as initial ballistic trajectory. Normally, the tactical
missile does not begin the navigated flight instantly after ejection. Because the tactical missile
is mainly depended on aerodynamics to achieve maneuverability, it needs time to get the
essential flight speed. On other words, the missile is not controlled during the time from its
ejection to the manoeuvrable flight. Commonly, the "starting control points" is defined as the
ballistic trajectory points when the missile begins to be controlled by the guidance system.
Initial disturbance is introduced because:
(l)During missile ejection, the launch tube vibrate because of wake flow;
(2) There are many manufacturing errors during the production process of missiles. These
disturbed factors could make initial conditions appear randomly distributed when the missile
ejects from the tube. On pitch plane, trajectory angle and missile angular rate coz0 in body
coordinate system are only needed to be considered.

Fig 7: Mis alignment of Thrust

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 V. MULTI STAGING ROCKET
A multistage (or multi-stage) rocket is a rocket that uses two or more stages, each of which
contains its own engines and propellant.A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another
stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage.

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Reasons For Multistaging
1. To improve performance by eliminating dead weight during powered flight.
2. To maintain acceleration within reasonable limits by reducing thrust in mid flight

Fig 8:Sub Rocket and Staging

Stage
A stage (which is also known as a step), is a complete propulsion unit with motor, propellant feed
system, tanks, propellant together with control equipment, which is discarded completely when all
the propellant of that stage is consumed.
Sub Rocket
A sub rocket is a complete rocket vehicle, consisting of one or more stages together with a payload
and the guidance and control system
In multistage launch vehicles the stage separation processis broadly
classified into two categories. They are
1. Separation Occuring Within Atmosphere.
Separation within the atmosphere is otherwise known as booster
separation/lower stage separation/strap on separation. Firing Technique- Long Duration And
Liquid Propellant Rocket
2. Separation Occuring Out Of Atmosphere.
Ullage Rocket Technique-Short Duration Solid Propellant Rocket Motor Placed Between
The Stages To Push The Lower Stage.

11
 SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

UNIT – III - BASIC CONCEPTS – SAE1402

-SAE1402

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 I. The Universe
According to our present view, 10 to 20 billion years ago there was nothing but an exploding,
enormously hot and dense Primeval Fireball that contained all the matter and energy of the present
universe. The mean mass density is extremely low, corresponding to that of a few hydrogen atoms
per ten cubic meters. The matter in the universe is mainly concentrated in objects with extremely
large dimensions and of complex structure: the galaxies. Billions of these galaxies are assumed
to be present in the universe. The mean distance between them is of the order of 1018 to 1020
km. Light year is used as the unit of length to express those large distances. The light year is
defined as the distance traversed by light in vacuum during one year, which corresponds to about
9.46 x 1012 km. The Sun belongs to one of the galaxies, named the Milky Way. This
Milky Way, which comprises about 100 billion stars, has the appearance of a
large, relatively flat structure with spiral arms and a diameter of about 100,000
light years. Our Sun is located at a distance of about 30,000 light years from the center of this
galaxy and is moving with a velocity of roughly 250 km/s about this center, completing
one revolution in about 250 million years. The galaxy nearest to the Milky Way is the
Great Magellanic Cloud at a distance of about 160,000 light years from the Sun.
Solar System
. Our Solar System consists of a central star (the Sun), the nine planets orbiting the sun,
moons, asteroids, comets, meteors, interplanetary gas, dust, and all the “space” in between them.
The nine planets of the Solar System are named for Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses.
The volume of space very close to the Sun, up to a distance of about 1 light year, is called the
solar system. Of those objects that orbit the Sun directly or indirectly, are the planets, moons,
with the remainder being significantly small Solar System bodies such as comets and asteroids.
Inner Planets: Mercury, Venus ,Earth ,Mars.
Outer Planets : Jupiter,Saturn ,Uranus,Neptune and Pluto.

The Sun
The sun’s energy comes from nuclear fusion (where hydrogen is converted to helium) within its core.
This energy is released from the sun in the form of heat and light. Stars produce light. Planets reflect
light. A star’s temperature determines its “color.” The coldest stars are red. The hottest stars are
blue.

The Planets
Planets are categorized according to composition and size. There are two main categories of planets:
small rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Pluto) and gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune). The Characteristics of Small Rocky Planets are they are made up mostly of rock and
metal. They are very heavy. They move slowly in space. They have no rings and few moons (if any).
They have a diameter of less than 13,000 km. The Characteristics of Gas Giants are they are made up
mostly of gases (primarily hydrogen & helium). They are very light for their size. They move quickly
in space. They have rings and many moons. They have a diameter of less than 48,000 km

Mercury
Mercury has a revolution period of 88 days. Mercury has extreme temperature fluctuations, ranging
from 800 F (daytime) to -270F (nighttime). Even though it is the closest planet to the sun, Scientists

2
believe there is ICE on Mercury! The ice is protected from the sun’s heat by crater shadows.

Fig 1: Solar System

Venus
Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon because its atmosphere reflects sunlight
so well. People often mistake it for a star. Its maximum surface temperature may reach 900F. Venus
has no moons and takes 225 days to complete an orbit.
Earth
Earth is the only planet known to support living organisms. Earth’s surface is composed of 71%
water. Water is necessary for life on Earth. The oceans help maintain Earth’s stable temperatures.
Earth has one moon and an oxygen rich atmosphere.

Mars
Like Earth, Mars has ice caps at its poles. Mars has the largest volcano in our solar system is
Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons is approximately 15 miles high. Mars appears red because of iron
oxide, or rust, in its soil. Mars has two moons and takes about two years to complete an orbit.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet. It’s diameter is 11 times bigger than that of the
Earth’s. It takes about 12 years for Jupiter to orbit the sun. Jupiter has 16 known moons.

Saturn
Saturn is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Saturn has many rings made of ice.
Saturn’s rings are very wide. They extend outward to about 260,000 miles from the surface but are
less than 1 mile thick. Saturn has 18 known moons, some of which orbit inside the rings! It takes
about 30 years to orbit the sun.

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Uranus
Uranus is blue in color due to methane gas in its atmosphere. Uranus has 11 dark rings surrounding
it. Uranus has 21 known moons and takes 84 years to complete one orbit.
Neptune
Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system: up to 2,000 km/hr. Neptune is also blue in color
due to methane gas in its atmosphere. Neptune takes 165 years to orbit the sun and has 8 moons.

Pluto
Pluto has only one moon and takes about 249 years to orbit the sun. Part of Pluto’s orbit passes inside
that of Neptune, so at times Neptune is the planet farthest from the sun. Pluto was located and named
in 1930, but today Pluto is no longer considered a planet.

Asteroids
Between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter there exists a belt in which millions of smaller bodies,
called asteroids, orbit about the Sun. The largest asteroid, Ceres, which was discovered in 1801,
measures about 750 km in diameter. Thousands have been identified and only a few hundred
are over 25 km across; most of the asteroids are very small. There are asteroids which periodically
pass the Earth quite closely.

Fig 2: Asteroids, comets and meteoroids

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Comets
Comets are mostly rather small objects, composed of frozen gases and solid particles, coming
from the outer part of the solar system where they are assumed to have been produced as a by-product
in the formation of the solar system. Due to the attraction of the nearest stars, some comets are
directed into the inner part of the solar system. When a comet moves in closer to the Sun, it
warms up and the nucleus releases gases and dust particles forming a large cloud around the
nucleus: the coma. Some of the constituents are expelled more or less radially from the Sun by the
solar wind and the radiation pressure of solar light to form the characteristic cometary tail (can
be as long as 108 km).

Meteoroids
Meteoroids are too small to be observed in their orbit about the Sun. When they enter the Earth's
atmosphere, where they are heated by friction until they melt or vaporize. The luminous
phenomenon created this way is called a meteor. Rarely does such a meteoroid survive its entry
into the atmosphere and impact on the Earth's surface. The material left is called a meteorite.
Though the vast majority of meteoroids are no larger than gravel, occasionally very large
meteorites have struck the Earth, producing meteor craters. Sometimes, a great number of
meteoroids are found to have the same orbit, they constitute a meteoroid stream, the debris
remaining from the breakup of a cometary nucleus. When the Earth is passing through a
meteoroid stream a large number of meteors are seen for some days: a meteor shower.

II. REFERENCE FRAMES & COORDINATE SYSTEMS

The location of a point on a line can be described by one coordinate; a point on a plane can be
described by two coordinates; a point in a three dimensional volume can be described by three
coordinates. In general, the number of coordinates equals the number of dimensions. A
coordinate system consists of: a fixed reference point (origin), a set of axes with specified
directions and scales and instructions that specify how to label a point in space relative to the origin
and axes
A reference frame which is based on the Earth's axis of rotation is taken to denote a position
relative to the Earth. The points where this axis crosses the Earth's surface are called the north
pole and the south pole. The great circle on the Earth's surface halfway between the poles is
the Earth's equator. The great circles passing through the poles are called meridians; they
intersect the equator at right angles

Fig 3: Latitude and Longitude

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The geographic longitude (𝜦), of a point (P) is defined as the arc length in degrees measured
along the equator from the meridian passing through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich,
England (G), to the meridian passing through point P. The Longitudes are measured either to the
east or west of the Greenwich meridian from 0° to 180°, indicated E or W; positive to the east
and negative to the west (W or E can be dropped). The geocentric latitude (𝜱), of P is given by the
geocentric angle in degrees measured along its meridian, from the equator to P. The Latitudes
are measured either to the north or to the south of the equator from 0° to 90°; positive north
and negative south of the equator.
Inertial and Non-Inertial Frame of Reference
An inertial reference frame is either at rest or moves with a constant velocity. Non−inertial reference
frames:− non−inertial reference frame is a reference frame that is accelerating either in linear fashion
or rotating around some axis. Examples:− inertial references frames − A train moving with constant
velocity. In the frame of reference of the car, the mass is immobile, and thus has no acceleration. In
the non-inertial frame of reference of the car, we still have the weight and tension forces exerted on
the mass; these have the same magnitude and direction as in the inertial frame of reference of the
groundThe motion of a body can only be described relative to something else—other bodies,
observers, or a set of spacetime coordinates. These are called frames of reference. If the coordinates
are chosen badly, the laws of motion may be more complex than necessary. For example, suppose a
free body that has no external forces acting on it is at rest at some instant. In many coordinate systems,
it would begin to move at the next instant, even though there are no forces on it. However, a frame
of reference can always be chosen in which it remains stationary. Similarly, if space is not described
uniformly or time independently, a coordinate system could describe the simple flight of a free body
in space as a complicated zig-zag in its coordinate system. Indeed, an intuitive summary of inertial
frames can be given: in an inertial reference frame, the laws of mechanics take their simplest form.
In an inertial frame, Newton's first law, the law of inertia, is satisfied: Any free motion has a constant
magnitude and direction. Newton's second law for a particle takes the mass of a particle
and a the acceleration of the particle (also a vector) which would be measured by an observer at rest
in the frame. The force F is the vector sum of all "real" forces on the particle, such as electromagnetic,
gravitational, nuclear and so forth. In contrast, Newton's second law in a rotating frame of reference,
rotating at angular rate Ω about an axisThe extra terms in the force F′ are the "fictitious" forces for
this frame, whose causes are external to the system in the frame. The first extra term is the Coriolis
force, the second the centrifugal force, and the third the Euler force. These terms all have these
properties: they vanish when Ω = 0; that is, they are zero for an inertial frame (which, of course, does
not rotate); they take on a different magnitude and direction in every rotating frame, depending upon
its particular value of Ω; they are ubiquitous in the rotating frame (affect every particle, regardless of
circumstance); and they have no apparent source in identifiable physical sources, in particular, matter.
Also, fictitious forces do not drop off with distance (unlike, for example, nuclear forces or electrical
forces). For example, the centrifugal force that appears to emanate from the axis of rotation in a
rotating frame increases with distance from the axis.All observers agree on the real forces, F; only
non-inertial observers need fictitious forces. The laws of physics in the inertial frame are simpler
because unnecessary forces are not present.

6
 III. CELESTIAL SPHERE
In denoting angular positions of celestial objects, it is convenient to make use of the concept
of a fictitious celestial sphere. Has an infinitely large radius, centered at an observer on Earth
or at the mass center of the Earth. The remote stars appear to be set on the inner surface of this sphere.
It will be clear that only for nearby objects, like spacecraft, different angular positions will be
measured on the observer-centered celestial sphere and the Earth-centered celestial sphere In
astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an abstract sphere that has an arbitrarily large radius
and is concentric to Earth. All objects in the sky can be conceived as being projected upon the inner
surface of the celestial sphere, which may be centered on Earth or the observer. If centered on the
observer, half of the sphere would resemble a hemispherical screen over the observing location.The
celestial sphere is a practical tool for spherical astronomy, allowing astronomers to specify the
apparent positions of objects in the sky if their distances are unknown or irrelevant. In the equatorial
coordinate system, the celestial equator divides the celestial sphere into two halves: the northern and
southern celestial hemispheres.

Fig 4: Celestial Sphere

These concepts are important for understanding celestial coordinate systems, frameworks for
measuring the positions of objects in the sky. Certain reference lines and planes on Earth, when
projected onto the celestial sphere, form the bases of the reference systems. These include the Earth's
equator, axis, and orbit. At their intersections with the celestial sphere, these form the celestial
equator, the north and south celestial poles, and the ecliptic, respectively.As the celestial sphere is
considered arbitrary or infinite in radius, all observers see the celestial equator, celestial poles, and
ecliptic at the same place against the background stars.From these bases, directions toward objects in
the sky can be quantified by constructing celestial coordinate systems. Similar to geographic
longitude and latitude, the equatorial coordinate system specifies positions relative to the celestial
equator and celestial poles, using right ascension and declination. The ecliptic coordinate system
specifies positions relative to the ecliptic (Earth's orbit), using ecliptic longitude and latitude. Besides
the equatorial and ecliptic systems, some other celestial coordinate systems, like the galactic
coordinate system, are more appropriate for particular purposes.

7
 Fig 5: Co-ordinate Axis of Celestial Sphere

When the meridian of an observer on Earth is projected onto the celestial sphere, we speak of the
observer's celestial meridian. This celestial meridian, of course, passes through the celestial poles
and through a point directly above the observer: his zenith. Owing to the Earth's rotation, the
observer's celestial meridian continuously sweeps around the celestial sphere. In another way, the
observer watches the celestial sphere rotating about the Earth's spin axis in a westward
direction; celestial objects thereby passing the observer's stationary celestial meridian, called as
diurnal motion.The two angles needed to define the location of an object along some direction from
the origin of the celestial sphere are defined as follows: α (right ascension) = the angle measured
eastward in the plane of the equator from a fixed inertial axis in space (vernal equinox) to a
plane normal to the equator (meridian), which contains the object,δ(declination) = the angle
between the object and equatorial plane measured (positive above the equator) in the meridional
plane, which contains the object. r (radial distance) = the distance between the origin of the
coordinate system and the location of a point (object) within the coordinate system.To describe
the motion of small rockets with respect to the Earth's surface, usually a geocentric rotating
reference frame is used. Z-axis is directed along the Earth's spin axis towards the north pole . X-
axis is in the Earth's equatorial plane, crossing the upper branch of the Greenwich meridian. The
Y -axis lies in the equatorial plane oriented such as to make the reference frame right-handed.
In spherical coordinates, position can be expressed by the length of the geocentric radius vector
(r), and the geocentric latitude 𝜱, and geographic longitude, 𝜦. This frame is called the
geocentric non-rotating equatorial reference frame

IV. ECLIPTICAL SPHERE

If the Sun is observed from the Earth, it is found to possess a second motion in addition to
the diurnal motion. The Sun moves eastward among the stars at a rate of about 10per day,
returning to its original position on the celestial sphere in one year. The path of the Sun over the
celestial sphere is called the ecliptic. The ecliptic plane is inclined to the equatorial plane at an
angle E referred to as the obliquity of the ecliptic. At the present time, E= 23°27'.

8
 Fig 4: Ecliptical Sphere
The axis of the ecliptic, being the line through the center of the celestial sphere perpendicular
to the ecliptic, intersects the celestial sphere in the ecliptic poles. The angular distance between
the celestial north pole and the ecliptic north pole equals the angle. Great circles through the
ecliptic poles are called circles of celestial longitude. The intersecting line of the equatorial plane
and the ecliptic plane plays a fundamental role in the definition of reference frames. This line
is called the equinox line because when, for an observer on Earth, the Sun crosses this line,
day and night have equal length; 21 March and 23 September each year.These crossing points
are called the vernal equinox (First Point of Aries ) and the autumnal equinox (Libra ),
respectively. Position of crossing points are known relative to the stars.To describe planetary
positions, or the motion of interplanetary spacecraft, the Sun is more convenient as origin of a
reference frame. Ecliptic plane is taken as the XY -plane in a heliocentric reference frame in

9
most cases. The point can serve as the directional reference for the X -axis in a heliocentric reference
frame too. In the heliocentric non-rotating ecliptic frame, a position can be described by a
heliocentric radius, r, and by the heliocentric longitude and latitude, defined analogously to
celestial longitude and latitude in the geocentric ecliptic frame.

Fig 5: Equinox and Sollistice

The velocity vector of a rocket, satellite or spacecraft can be described by the magnitude of the
velocity and by two angles determining the direction of this velocity vector. The local horizontal
plane can be defined as the plane normal to the radius vector, r. In the geocentric equatorial
reference frame, the north-south direction is defined by the intersection of the plane through
the local hour circle with the local horizontal plane.

Fig 6: Velocity Vector

The flight path angle, ᵞ, is the angle between the velocity vector, V, and the horizontal
plane; varies between -90° and +90°; +90° corresponding with a radially outward directed
velocity. The angle between the local north direction and the projection of the velocity vector
on the horizontal plane is called the flight path azimuth, 𝝍;measured from the north in a clockwise
direction from 0°to 360°. As reference object a particular star can be selected, e.g. Antares.
When Antares crosses the observer's meridian we can speak of 0ℎ0𝑚0 Antares-time. Instead of
selecting a particular star, it turns out to be more convenient to use the vernal equinox or the Sun

10
as reference object, resulting in sidereal time and solar time, respectively. As the hour angle
of a given point on the celestial sphere differs at a certain epoch for observers with a different
geographical longitude, both types of time are local and we speak of local sidereal time and local
solar time. Antares is the fifteenth brightest star in the night time sky and the brightest star in the
constellation Scorpius, and is often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion".

V. EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

The earth’s atmosphere acts as an insulating layer that protects the earth’s surface from the intense
light and heat of the sun. The atmosphere is also important because it contains oxygen, which we
and other living organisms breathe.

Fig 7: Structure of Atmosphere

There are five layers in the structure of the atmosphere depending upon temperature. These layers
are: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere and Exosphere
Troposphere
It is considered as the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere.The troposphere starts at the surface of the
earth and goes up to a height of 7 to 20 km.All-weather occurs within this layer.This layer has water
vapor and mature particles. Temperature decreases at the rate of 1 degree Celsius for every 165 m of
height. Tropopause separates Troposphere and Stratosphere.

11
Stratosphere
It is the second layer of the atmosphere found above the troposphere.It extends up to 50 km of
height.This layer is very dry as it contains little water vapour. This layer provides some advantages
for flight because it is above stormy weather and has steady, strong, horizontal winds.The ozone layer
is found in this layer.The ozone layer absorbs UV rays and safeguards earth from harmful radiation.
Stratopause separates Stratosphere and Mesosphere.

Mesosphere
The Mesosphere is found above the stratosphere.It is the coldest of the atmospheric layers.The
mesosphere starts at 50 km above the surface of Earth and goes up to 85 km.The temperature drops
with altitude in this layer.By 80 km it reaches -100 degrees Celsius. Meteors burn up in this layer.The
upper limit is called Mesopause which separates Mesosphere and Thermosphere.

Fig 8: Structure of Atmosphere

Thermosphere
This layer is found above Mesopause from 80 to 400 km.Radio waves that are transmitted from the
earth are reflected by this layer.The temperature increases with height. Aurora and satellites occur
in this layer.

12
Ionosphere
The lower Thermosphere is called the Ionosphere.The ionosphere consists of electrically charged
particles known as ions.This layer is defined as the layer of the atmosphere of Earth that is ionized
by cosmic and solar radiation.It is positioned between 80 and 400 km above the Mesopause.

Exosphere
It is the outermost layer of the atmosphere. The zone where molecules and atoms escape into space
is mentioned as the exosphere.It extends from the top of the thermosphere up to 10,000 km.

Earth’s Radiation Belts

Van Allen radiation belt, doughnut-shaped zones of highly energetic charged particles trapped at high
altitudes in the magnetic field of Earth. The zones were named for James A. Van Allen, the American
physicist who discovered them in 1958, using data transmitted by the U.S. Explorer satellite. When
investigating solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, it is important to understand how the
solar wind, and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) frozen into it, behaves as it reaches the Earth.
Magnetic reconnection, for example, is a phenomenon whose morphology is governed by the IMF
orientation and wields a large influence over many of the processes occurring within the
magnetosphere. Exploiting nearly a decade of spacecraft data, primarily from ESA’s Cluster mission
and NASA’s ACE mission, The length of time it takes the solar wind to travel from an upstream
observer, situated ∼ 240 RE upstream of the Earth, to the near-Earth environment. By isolating those
periods when the Clusters pacecraft were within the unimpeded solar wind, the study is able to
compare near-Earth magnetic field data to data from the upstream observer ACE.

Fig 9: Radiation belt of Atmosphere

Using a cross-correlation method to analyse these data provides nearly 5000 propagation delay times
which are then compared to a simple “flat-delay” (i.e. distance/speed) and to the frequently used
OMNI web data set. The results of the study show that statistically both methods are similar and
provide good estimates, however, there are times when the estimated propagation delay is
significantly different from the observed delay.The boundary between the solar wind and the Earth’s

13
terrestrial magnetic field is known as the magnetopause. This boundary is an important region for
solar wind magneto spheric coupling as it is one of the primary locations for magnetic reconnection.

Fig 10: Radiation belt of Atmosphere

To study the magnetopause, it is pivotal to know its location, however, this is non-trivial since the
magnetopause is not static but is instead located where there is a pressure balance between the
changing solar wind and the magnetosphere. The Cluster satellites are used to determine the location
of the magnetopause. Over 2709 individual locations, spread over varying magnetic latitudes and
local times, are recorded and compared to four frequently-used magnetopause models. The results
show that two of the models overestimate the distance to the magnetopause (by ∼ 1 RE) and that two
underestimate it (by ∼ 0.5 RE and ∼ 0.25 RE respectively).
As the solar wind approaches the Earth’s magnetosphere it is slowed and a bowshock is formed.
Inside this bowshock, the solar wind is turbulent and the orientation of the magnetic field changes
through a process known as magnetic draping. An investigation of eight years worth of near-
magnetopause magnetic field data, provided by the Cluster mission, is undertaken and the changes
in magnetic field orientation are presented. Over the course of 2688 magnetopause crossings, it is
found that the upstream IMF conditions have a considerable impact upon the amount of modification
of the orientation of the magnetic field as does the location of the recording on the magnetopause.
Overall, only 13% of data points exhibit “perfect draping” (where the y- and z- components of the
magnetic field are not substantially affected by the magneto sheath traversal)

14
 SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

UNIT – IV - THE GENERAL N-BODY PROBLEM – SAE1402

-SAE1402
 I. Many Body Problem
The classical problem in celestial mechanics is the determination of the motion of n bodies under
their mutual gravitational attractions. These bodies are supposed to possess a spherical symmetry
so that they can be regarded as point masses. It is assumed that no other forces act upon these bodies.
Here the point mass is considered. For the three-body problem with arbitrary masses, only two kinds
of exact particular solutions have been obtained: the straight-line equilibrium solution, the
equilateral-triangular equilibrium solution and isosceles-triangular solution (in the case of two equal
masses). Consider an inertial reference frame XYZ and a system of n bodies, each with constant
mass.

Fig 1: Many Body Problem

The position of a body Pi (i = 1, 2, ... , n), with mass mi, relative to the inertial frame is determined
by its radius vector Ri .According to Newton's laws, the equation of motion of the body Pi relative to
the inertial frame is
For the actual determination of the motion of each body, we have to integrate numerically the
equations of motion.For systems involving more than a few hundred bodies, the integration of these
equations is totally impractical. To study the general evolution of such systems, we have to
rely on statistical techniques. Only some interesting general features of the dynamical behavior
of the bodies can be obtained analytically. These are known as the integrals of motion.

II. Two Body Problem

A more useful and general expression of the gravitational law is in its vector formulation.
Consider the masses m and M are moving in an inertial reference frame E1, E2, E3. It is
desired to determine the motion of m relative to the larger mass M

Fig 2: Two Body Problem

The general two body problem results if a is not equal to zero. Then, for the mass M,

For the Mass m.

Subtracting the equation in above equation, we get

In a two body problem , the principal mass M is assumed to be fixed in space. This implies that M
>> m, the m does not affect the motion of M. Let o be the origin of the M, assume a =0,
Then the net force on the mass m is

Therefore we can write as,

..
Where r = d2r/dt2 , acceleration of mass m relative to the inertial frame. The motion of
the two body problem is therefore similar to the many body problem with only effect of definite
mass in this two body problem.

Where µ= GM and the mass m << Mass M

Using the Scalar Multiplication , we get

Where ε is the Specific mechanical energy. The first term is specific kinetic energy and the second
term in specific potential energy
 III. Lagrangian Points or Liberation Points
In celestial mechanics, the Lagrange points are orbital points near two large co-orbiting bodies. At
the Lagrange points the gravitational forces of the two large bodies cancel out in such a way that a
small object placed in orbit there is in equilibrium relative to the center of mass of the large bodies.
There are five such points, labeled L1 to L5, all in the orbital plane of the two large bodies, for each
given combination of two orbital bodies. For instance, there are five Lagrangian points L1 to L5 for
the Sun–Earth system, and in a similar way there are five different Lagrangian points for the Earth–
Moon system. L1, L2, and L3 are on the line through the centers of the two large bodies, while L4
and L5 each act as the third vertex of an equilateral triangle formed with the centers of the two large
bodies. L4 and L5 are stable, which implies that objects can orbit around them in a rotating coordinate
system tied to the two large bodies. Several planets have trojan asteroids near their L4 and L5 points
with respect to the Sun. Jupiter has more than a million of these trojans. Artificial satellites have been
placed at L1 and L2 with respect to the Sun and Earth, and with respect to the Earth and the Moon.
The Lagrangian points have been proposed for uses in space exploration.
The five Lagrange points are labeled and defined as follows:
L1 point
The L1 point lies on the line defined by the two large masses M1 and M2, and between them. It is
the point where the gravitational attraction of M2 partially cancels that of M1. An object that orbits
the Sun more closely than Earth would normally have a shorter orbital period than Earth, but that
ignores the effect of Earth's own gravitational pull. If the object is directly between Earth and the
Sun, then Earth's gravity counteracts some of the Sun's pull on the object, and therefore increases the
orbital period of the object. The closer to Earth the object is, the greater this effect is. At the L1 point,
the orbital period of the object becomes exactly equal to Earth's orbital period. L1 is about 1.5 million
kilometers from Earth, or 0.01 au, 1/100th the distance to the Sun.

Fig 3: Liberation Points

L2 point
The L2 point lies on the line through the two large masses, beyond the smaller of the two. Here, the
gravitational forces of the two large masses balance the centrifugal effect on a body at L2. On the
opposite side of Earth from the Sun, the orbital period of an object would normally be greater than
that of Earth. The extra pull of Earth's gravity decreases the orbital period of the object, and at the L2
point that orbital period becomes equal to Earth's. Like L1, L2 is about 1.5 million kilometers or 0.01
au from Earth.

Fig 4: Modelling of Liberation Points

L3 point
The L3 point lies on the line defined by the two large masses, beyond the larger of the two. Within
the Sun–Earth system, the L3 point exists on the opposite side of the Sun, a little outside Earth's orbit
and slightly further from the Sun than Earth is. This placement occurs because the Sun is also affected
by Earth's gravity and so orbits around the two bodies' barycenter, which is well inside the body of
the Sun. An object at Earth's distance from the Sun would have an orbital period of one year if only
the Sun's gravity is considered. But an object on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and directly
in line with both "feels" Earth's gravity adding slightly to the Sun's and therefore must orbit a little
further from the Sun in order to have the same 1-year period. It is at the L3 point that the combined
pull of Earth and Sun causes the object to orbit with the same period as Earth, in effect orbiting an
Earth+Sun mass with the Earth-Sun barycenter at one focus of its orbit.
L4 and L5 points
The L4 and L5 points lie at the third corners of the two equilateral triangles in the plane of orbit
whose common base is the line between the centers of the two masses, such that the point lies behind
(L5) or ahead (L4) of the smaller mass with regard to its orbit around the larger mass.The triangular
points (L4 and L5) are stable equilibria, provided that the ratio of M1/M2 is greater than 24.96.This
is the case for the Sun–Earth system, the Sun–Jupiter system, and, by a smaller margin, the Earth–
Moon system. When a body at these points is perturbed, it moves away from the point, but the factor
opposite of that which is increased or decreased by the perturbation (either gravity or angular
momentum-induced speed) will also increase or decrease, bending the object's path into a stable,
kidney bean-shaped orbit around the point (as seen in the co rotating frame of reference).In contrast
to L4 and L5, where stable equilibrium exists, the points L1, L2, and L3 are positions of unstable
equilibrium. Any object orbiting at L1, L2, or L3 will tend to fall out of orbit; it is therefore rare to
find natural objects there, and spacecraft inhabiting these areas must employ station keeping in order
to maintain their position.
Sphere of Influence
The motion of an interplanetary spacecraft is governed by the attracting forces of all planets and the
Sun. Trajectory can be approximated by accounting only for three gravitational fields: those of the
Earth, the Sun and the target planet. We then imagine the trajectory to be composed of three
successive two-body trajectories; in each trajectory the spacecraft is assumed to be attracted
by only one celestial body. Using certain criterion we can determine the distance from the Earth, and
from the target planet, where the switch between the successive two-body trajectories has to be made.
Consider the motion of the spacecraft with mass mc relative to a non-rotating reference frame
with its origin at the Earth's center. We assume that the only disturbing body is the Sun. The
masses of Sun and Earth are denoted by ms and me, respectively.
For convenience, we approximate this surface by a sphere with radius equal to the maximum value
of rec· This sphere is called the sphere of influence or the activity sphere of the Earth.

Fig 5: Relative positions of Earth, satellite and disturbing body

Sphere of influence can be determined for each planet and is given by

Where, Rs.i - radius of sphere of influence

rps - distance between the planet and the Sun
The concept of a sphere of influence was introduced by Laplace in his studies on the motion of comets
in the immediate neighbourhood of the planet Jupiter. It is widely used for feasibility studies in
interplanetary spaceflight

IV. Satellite
A satellite is a moon, planet or machine that orbits a planet or star. For example, Earth is a satellite
because it orbits the sun. Likewise, the moon is a satellite because it orbits Earth. The path along
which satellite moves in the space around earth are called orbits.
Characteristics of orbit are
• Apogee: Farthest point on the orbit of a satellite from earth.
• Perigee: Nearest point on the orbit of a satellite from earth.
• Inclination: It is determined by the angle it makes with the equator.
A Satellite can move in three types of orbits- Based on inclination namely

Equatorial orbit
It lies in the equatorial plane of the earth. This orbit is most useful orbit for communication purposes.

Fig 6 Equatorial orbit

Polar orbit
The polar orbit is from north pole to south pole.

Fig 7 Polar orbit

Inclined orbit
The orbit with an inclination angles is called as Inclined orbit.
 Fig 8 Inclined orbit

The orbit is further classified into three types: Based on Range

GEO- Geo Earth orbits
MEO- Medium Earth orbits
LEO- Low Earth Orbits

Fig 9 GEO,MEO,LEO orbit

The Characteristics of the orbits- Based on Range

Tab 1: GEO,MEO,LEO Characertistics

Satellite Architecture
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunications
signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a
receiver at different locations on Earth. Communications satellites are used for television, telephone,
radio, internet, and military applications. There are over 2,000 communications satellites in Earth’s
orbit, used by both private and government organizations.

Fig 9

Fig 9 Data transfer of satellite to ground station and vice versa

The major subsystem of satellite are

Solar panels: They charge the batteries and supply the electric power for the spacecraft.
Communication subsystems: This is a set of transponders that receive the uplink signals and
Transmit them to the earth.
Telemetry, tracking and command subsystem: It monitors onboard conditions such as temperature
and battery voltage and transmit them to ground station for analysis.
Attitude control subsystem: It provides stabilization in orbit and senses
change in orientation
Propulsion subsystem: The jet thrusters and apogee kick motor (AKM) are part of
propulsion subsystem and are c ommanded from ground.
 Fig 10 Satellite Architecture
Advantages

• The coverage area of a satellite greatly exceeds that of a terrestrial system.

• Transmission cost of a satellite is independent of the distance from the center of the
coverage area.

• Satellite to Satellite communication is very precise.

• Higher Bandwidths are available for use
Disadvantage
 Launching satellites into orbit is costly.
 Satellite bandwidth is gradually becoming used up.
 There is a larger propagation delay in satellite communication than in terrestrial.
Major problems for satellites
 Positioning in orbit
 Stability
 Power
 Communications
 Harsh Environment

Satellite Transmission Bands

C Band are mostly used. It’s capacity is low and terrestrial interference is problem. In Ku band, rain
interference is the problem. In Ka band, equipment needed to use the band is very expensive.

Frequency Band Downlink Uplink

C 3.7-4.2 GHz 5.92-6.42 GHz

Ku 11.7-12.2 GHz 14.0-14.5 GHz

Ka 17.7-21.2 GHz 27.5-31.0 GHz

Tab 2 : Frequency bands

Features of geostationary satellite

• The orbit is circular
 • The orbit is in equatorial plane i.e.directly above the equator and thus
inclination is zero.
• The angular velocity of the satellite is equal to angular velocity of earth
• Period of revolution is equal to period of rotation of earth.
• Completes one revolution around the earth in exactly one day i.e. 23 hours, 56 Minutes
and 4.1 seconds There is ONLY one geostationary orbit.

Features of geosynchronous satellite

• There is a difference between the geostationary and geosynchronous orbits.
• We should note that while other orbits may be many, there is ONLY ONE Equatorial orbit,
i.e. the orbit which is directly above the earth’s equator.
• Sometimes we send a satellite in the space which though has a period of revolution is equal
to period of rotation of earth, but its orbit is neither equatorial nor Circular.
• So, this satellite will finish one revolution around the earth in exactly one day i.e. 23 hours,
56 Minutes and 4.1 seconds, yet it does NOT appear stationary from the earth.
• It looks oscillating but NOT stationary and that is why it is called Geosynchronous.
• The orbit is NOT circular
• The orbit is NOT in equatorial plane, (directly above the equator), it’s in inclined orbit
• The angular velocity of the satellite is equal to angular velocity of earth
• Period of revolution is equal to period of rotation of earth.
• Finish one revolution around the earth in exactly one day i.e. 23 hours, 56
Minutes and 4.1 seconds There are many geosynchronous orbits.
 SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

UNIT – V- ORBIT DYNAMICS – SAE1402

-SAE1402

1
 I. Kelperian Orbits
Kepler’s First Law
The prevailing view during the time of Kepler was that all planetary orbits were circular. The data
for Mars presented the greatest challenge to this view and that eventually encouraged Kepler to give
up the popular idea. Kepler’s first law states that every planet moves along an ellipse, with the Sun
located at a focus of the ellipse. An ellipse is defined as the set of all points such that the sum of the
distance from each point to two foci is a constant, shows an ellipse and describes a simple way to
create it.

Fig 1 : Kelper’s First Law

Kepler’s Second Law
Kepler’s second law states that a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times, that is, the area divided
by time, called the areal velocity, is constant. The time it takes a planet to move from position A to B,
sweeping out area A1A1, is exactly the time taken to move from position C to D, sweeping
area A2A2, and to move from E to F, sweeping out area A3A3. These areas are the
same: A1=A2=A3

Fig 2 : Kelper’s second Law

2
Kepler’s Third Law
Kepler’s third law states that the square of the period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major
axis of the orbit. In Kepler’s third law for the special case of a circular orbit and gives us the period
of a circular orbit of radius r about Earth:
T=2π√r3GME.T=2πr3GME.

Fig 3 : Kelper’s third Law

For an ellipse, recall that the semi-major axis is one-half the sum of the perihelion and the aphelion.
For a circular orbit, the semi-major axis (a) is the same as the radius for the orbit. In fact, gives us
Kepler’s third law if we simply replace r with a and square both sides.
T2=4π2GMa3T2=4π2GMa3
We have changed the mass of Earth to the more general M, since this equation applies to satellites
orbiting any large mass.

II. Orbital Elements

Orbital elements are the parameters required to uniquely identify a specific orbit. In celestial
mechanics these elements are considered in two-body systems using a Kepler orbit. There are many
different ways to mathematically describe the same orbit, but certain schemes, each consisting of a
set of six parameters, are commonly used in astronomy and orbital mechanics.A real orbit and its
elements change over time due to gravitational perturbations by other objects and the effects of
general relativity. A Kepler orbit is an idealized, mathematical approximation of the orbit at a
particular time.Hence, this is also called as Kelperian elements.
The traditional orbital elements are the six Keplerian elements, after Johannes Kepler and his laws of
planetary motion. When viewed from an inertial frame, two orbiting bodies trace out distinct
trajectories. Each of these trajectories has its focus at the common center of mass. When viewed from
a non-inertial frame centred on one of the bodies, only the trajectory of the opposite body is apparent;
Keplerian elements describe these non-inertial trajectories. An orbit has two sets of Keplerian
elements depending on which body is used as the point of reference. The reference body is called

3
the primary, the other body is called the secondary. The primary does not necessarily possess more
mass than the secondary, and even when the bodies are of equal mass, the orbital elements depend
on the choice of the primary.
Two elements define the shape and size of the ellipse:

 Eccentricity (e)—shape of the ellipse, describing how much it is elongated compared to a circle
(not marked in diagram).
 Semimajor axis (a)—the sum of the periapsis and apoapsis distances divided by two. For classic
two-body orbits, the semimajor axis is the distance between the centers of the bodies, not the
distance of the bodies from the center of mass.

Fig 4 : Kelperian elements

Two elements define the orientation of the orbital plane in which the ellipse is embedded:

 Inclination (i)—vertical tilt of the ellipse with respect to the reference plane, measured at
the ascending node (where the orbit passes upward through the reference plane, the green
angle i in the diagram). Tilt angle is measured perpendicular to line of intersection between
orbital plane and reference plane. Any three points on an ellipse will define the ellipse orbital
plane. The plane and the ellipse are both two-dimensional objects defined in three-dimensional
space.
 Longitude of the ascending node (Ω)—horizontally orients the ascending node of the ellipse
(where the orbit passes upward through the reference plane, symbolized by ☊) with respect to the
reference frame's vernal point (symbolized by ♈︎). This is measured in the reference plane, and
is shown as the green angle Ω in the diagram.
The remaining two elements are as follows:

 Argument of periapsis (ω) defines the orientation of the ellipse in the orbital plane, as an angle
measured from the ascending node to the periapsis (the closest point the satellite object comes to
the primary object around which it orbits, the blue angle ω in the diagram).

4
 True anomaly (ν, θ, or f) at epoch (t0) defines the position of the orbiting body along the ellipse
at a specific time (the "epoch").
The mean anomaly M is a mathematically convenient fictitious "angle" which varies linearly with
time, but which does not correspond to a real geometric angle. It can be converted into the true
anomaly ν, which does represent the real geometric angle in the plane of the ellipse,
between periapsis (closest approach to the central body) and the position of the orbiting object at any
given time. Thus, the true anomaly is shown as the red angle ν in the diagram, and the mean anomaly
is not shown.The angles of inclination, longitude of the ascending node, and argument of periapsis
can also be described as the Euler angles defining the orientation of the orbit relative to the reference
coordinate system.Note that non-elliptic trajectories also exist, but are not closed, and are thus not
orbits. If the eccentricity is greater than one, the trajectory is a hyperbola. If the eccentricity is equal
to one and the angular momentum is zero, the trajectory is radial. If the eccentricity is one and there
is angular momentum, the trajectory is a parabola.

III. Pertubations
In astronomy, perturbation is the complex motion of a massive body subject to forces other than the
gravitational attraction of a single other massive body. The other forces can include a third (fourth,
fifth, etc.) body, resistance, as from an atmosphere, and the off-center attraction of an oblate or
otherwise misshapen body.

Fig 5: Pertubations
General perturbations
In methods of general perturbations, general differential equations, either of motion or of change in
the orbital elements, are solved analytically, usually by series expansions. The result is usually
expressed in terms of algebraic and trigonometric functions of the orbital elements of the body in
question and the perturbing bodies. This can be applied generally to many different sets of conditions,
and is not specific to any particular set of gravitating objects.
Special perturbations
In methods of special perturbations, numerical datasets, representing values for the positions,
velocities and accelerative forces on the bodies of interest, are made the basis of numerical integration
of the differential equations of motion.In effect, the positions and velocities are perturbed directly,
5
and no attempt is made to calculate the curves of the orbits or the orbital elements.Special
perturbations can be applied to any problem in celestial mechanics, as it is not limited to cases where
the perturbing forces are small. Once applied only to comets and minor planets, special perturbation
methods are now the basis of the most accurate machine-generated planetary ephemerides of the great
astronomical almanacs. Special perturbations are also used for modeling an orbit with computers.
Cowell's Pertubations
Cowell's formulation (so named for Philip H. Cowell, who, with A.C.D. Cromellin, used a similar
method to predict the return of Halley's comet) is perhaps the simplest of the special perturbation
methods.In a system of mutually interacting bodies, this method mathematically solves for
the Newtonian forces on body.

Fig 6: Cowell's Pertubations

This equation is resolved into components in these are integrated numerically to form the new
velocity and position vectors as the simulation moves forward in time. The advantage of Cowell's
method is ease of application and programming. A disadvantage is that when perturbations become
large in magnitude (as when an object makes a close approach to another) the errors of the method
also become large. Another disadvantage is that in systems with a dominant central body, such as the
Sun, it is necessary to carry many significant digits in the arithmetic because of the large difference
in the forces of the central body and the perturbing bodies.
Encke's method
Encke's method begins with the osculating orbit as a reference and integrates numerically to solve
for the variation from the reference as a function of time. Its advantages are that perturbations are
generally small in magnitude, so the integration can proceed in larger steps (with resulting lesser
errors), and the method is much less affected by extreme perturbations. Its disadvantage is
complexity; it cannot be used indefinitely without occasionally updating the osculating orbit and
continuing from there, a process known as rectification.

6
 Fig 7: Encke's Pertubations

Since the osculating orbit is easily calculated by two-body methods, and the difference of two nearly
equal vectors, and further manipulation is necessary to avoid the need for extra significant digits.

IV. Relationship between orbital elements and position and velocity

The instantaneous position and velocity of body in its motion about body can be described by its
rectangular coordinates and velocity components
There exist one-to-one relationships between these three sets of parameters. In one respect the last
set is entirely different from the first two: the six orbital elements are constant during the motion.
Therefore, the general scheme to compute the position of P, at some time t is as follows. First the
orbital elements are computed at to when the position and velocity of P, are known. Because these
elements are constant, they take the same value at time t, and by an inverse transformation the position
and velocity at time t.
For the transformations between the three sets of parameters mcntioned above, six sets of
transformation relations are needed. They can be derived easily. As an example, we will derive the
transformation relations to compute rectangular coordinates and velocity components from orbital
elements. The three sets of transformation relations only hold for elliptic orbits, but the derivations
for parabolic and hyperbolic orbits are essentially the same. In all cases, the non-rotating geocentric
equatorial frame is taken as reference frame. Rectangular coordinates from orbital elements When
the orbital elements are known, the solution of Kepler's equation for a certain time to provides us
with the value of E at that time. we then obtain the value of B at that time. For convenience, we now
select a right-handed Cartesian reference frame erg with its origin coinciding with the origin of the

7
geocentric xyz-frame. The 01-plane coin-cides with the orbital plane and the positive faxis points
towards the perigee. In this frame, the coordinates of body P, are given by

For the transformations between the three sets of parameters mcntioned above, six sets of
transformation relations are needed. They can be derived easily. As an example, we will derive the
transformation relations to compute rectangular coordinates and velocity components from orbital
elements. The three sets of transformation relations only hold for elliptic orbits, but the derivations
for parabolic and hyperbolic orbits are essentially the same. In all cases, the non-rotating geocentric
equatorial frame is taken as reference frame. Rectangular coordinates from orbital elements When
the orbital elements are known, the solution of Kepler's equation for a certain time to provides us
with the value. For convenience, we now select a right-handed Cartesian reference frame erg with its
origin coinciding with the origin of the geocentric xyz-frame. The 01-plane coin-cides with the orbital
plane and the positive axis points towards the perigee

8
JACOBIAN
The area of a cross section in the xy-plane may not be exactly the same as the area of a cross section
in the uv-plane. We want to determine the relationship; that is, we want to determine the scaling
factor that is needed so that the areas are equal.