But in this case the hyperbolic orbit is not around the object with which we wish to have a similar speed.
The orbit is around the sun, just like the orbit of Earth. Would it not be possible to find a trajectory that comes past inside the height of a geosynchronous orbit but traveling at a relative speed similar to the rotational velocity of the planet? We could even change the angle of approach by using the moon if needs be, and we only need to get close enough to be dominated by earth's gravitational pull if we can get the speed close enough. We could even use an orbital path that would pass through the sun or one of the other planets because we need not use the entire orbit, just enough of it that we are outside of the active detection radius of the planet when we make our final adjustments. Perhaps it is not even an hyperbolic orbit, and the shuttle is just falling in towards the sun at a rate that happens to meet our needs when we get close enough to earth to have almost no relative speed as we approach the morning side of the planet.(as in the side of the planet which is moving towards the sun due to it's rotation and could thus be moving at the same speed as an object 'falling' towards the sun when that object is caught in earth's gravity) Just a few thoughts... -Travis On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 2:30 PM, Jeff Wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Zan Lynx <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >> You are absolutely certain that a hyperbolic solar orbit with aphelion >> preceding Earth so that Earth captures it at its slowest point would >> always exceed LEO? > > Technically, a hyperbolic orbit has no slowest point. Since it is the curve > followed by objects above escape velocity, they never decelerate to zero, > even with infinite time and distance (unless third bodies or non-Euclidean > curvature intervene, of course). At best they approach asymptotic vectors > with magnitudes equal to their velocity in excess of escape. > > -- > Jeff Wilson - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > < http://www.io.com/~jwilson > > _______________________________________________ > GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> > http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l > -- The man that holds fast to his bitterness will eventually be consumed by it, but if you let it go, your arms will be free to seize the glory that is life. -Terwin _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
