How close can you orbit the Moon?
Most Lunar orbiters stay far enough up to not be affected. The closest deliberate trajectory is probably Chang’e 2 with a periapsis of 15 km (9.3 miles); other low flyers are the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at 12 miles (20 km), and LADEE (20km x 60km, 12mi x 37 mi).
Is lunar orbit stable?
How stable are they? Ely and his colleagues calculate that certain elliptical, high-inclination, high-altitude lunar orbits may remain stable for periods of at least a century. Indeed, Ely hypothesizes the orbits could last indefinitely.
Is lunar synchronous orbit possible?
Our Moon is obviously not in synchronous, or more specifically geosynchronous orbit about the Earth. The period of its orbit around the Earth is not the same as our sidereal day; in fact, it takes the Moon about 27.3 of our days to complete one orbit of our Earth.
What is the lowest orbit possible?
There is an orbit around the Earth called the Low Earth orbit (LEO) with an altitude between 160-2000 km. This is the lowest altitude at which an object can go on orbiting around the Earth.
How close can an object orbit?
The minimum distance is about 170 km. The object cannot even orbit once at that altitude because the atmospheric drag would cause it to re-enter. The lowest longer term practical altitude is 300 to 400 km, but that still requires frequent boosting to maintain orbit.
How long did it take Apollo 11 to orbit the Moon?
Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours and 39 minutes later on July 21 at 02:56 UTC; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later….Apollo 11.
| COSPAR ID | CSM: 1969-059A LM: 1969-059C |
| SATCAT no. | CSM: 4039 LM: 4041 |
| Mission duration | 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds |
| Spacecraft properties |
|---|
Does the Moon’s orbit wobble?
As seen from Earth’s point of view, the moon’s orbit appears to wobble like a spinning top. At some times during each 18.6-year cycle, the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly aligned. That’s when the moon is full or new. These are the times when high tides are elevated most, says Mitchum.
Is a geostationary moon possible?
Is that close enough? As Mr Frost points out, a geostationary orbit around the moon is impossible. But there are Lagrange points in the earth-moon system that (since the moon is tidally-locked to earth) are geostationary in relation to the lunar surface.
Why does the moon not spin?
The illusion of the moon not rotating from our perspective is caused by tidal locking, or a synchronous rotation in which a locked body takes just as long to orbit around its partner as it does to revolve once on its axis due to its partner’s gravity. (The moons of other planets experience the same effect.)
What is the GEO belt?
Geostationary satellites are carefully placed in orbits that are fairly narrowly defined along the Earth’s sky-projected equator. They’re positioned some 22,200 mi (35,727 km) above the equator. This 10-frame mosaic image shows a 35-degree swath of the sky.
How far does Earth orbit reach?
Satellites that stay above a location on Earth are in geosynchronous Earth orbit, or GEO. These satellites orbit about 23,000 miles (37,015 km) above the equator and complete one revolution around Earth precisely every 24 hours. Satellites headed for GEO first go to an elliptical orbit with an apogee about 37,015 km.
Do lunar orbits have polar and global coverage?
Constellations of Elliptical Inclined Lunar Orbits Providing Polar and Global Coverage (by Ely and Erica Lieb), Paper AAS 05-343, AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialists Conference, August 7-11, 2005.
How strong is the Earth’s pull on the Moon’s orbit?
For a lunar orbit higher than 750 miles, Earth’s pull is actually strong enough to whisk a spacecraft out of the game. Satellites in Earth orbit don’t experience this sort of interference from the Moon.
Should two spacecraft orbit around the Moon?
Two would always be above the lunar horizon to relay messages to and from Earth. There’s just one problem. “High-altitude circular orbits around the Moon are unstable,” says Todd A. Ely, senior engineer for guidance, navigation, and control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
How fast can a satellite fall to the Moon?
“Put a satellite into a circular lunar orbit above an altitude of about 750 miles (1200 km) and it’ll either crash into the lunar surface or it’ll be flung away from the Moon altogether in a hyperbolic orbit.” Depending on the specific orbit, this can happen fast: within tens of days.