English

Gravitational Orbits and the Lambert Problem

Classical Physics 2022-03-02 v1

Abstract

The Lambert problem is to determine the gravitational orbit between two points that has a specified time of flight, allowing the second point to be a moving target such as a satellite. After a review of gravitational orbits, a solution of the Lambert problem is presented using the path equation directly. However, because the time interval is specified, the solution requires a search procedure. An example is given to illustrate the method.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2110.10860,
  title  = {Gravitational Orbits and the Lambert Problem},
  author = {Ian R Gatland},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2110.10860},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

6 pages. 1 figure. In press

R2 v1 2026-06-24T07:03:36.518Z