TRAJECTORIES OF A SPACE-PROBE EJECTED FROM A SPACE STATION IN CIRCULAR ORBIT

The trajectories of an unpowered spaceprobe ejected into the orbital plane of a space station in circular orbit are investigated using a coordinate reference system attached to the space station. Polar parametric equations for the trajectories are developed by a coordinate transformation of the orbital equations to rotating coordinates, with the true anomaly of the spaceprobe in orbit as parameter. An analysis of these equations leads to descriptions and classifications of the trajectories in which classes of bounded and unbounded trajectories are isolated with subclasses of periodic, aperiodic, central, progressing, reversing, isochronous, isoperiodic, isonumeric, homoperiodic and coterminal trajectories established and identified. © 1979 D. Reidel Publishing Co.