Basics of Space Flight: Orbital MechanicsSatellite orbits can be any of the four conic sections. This page deals mostly with elliptical orbits, though we conclude with an examination of the hyperbolic orbit. Orbital Elements To mathematically describe an orbit one must define six quantities, called orbital elements. They are Semi-Major Axis, a Eccentricity, e Inclination, i Argument of Periapsis, Time of Periapsis Passage, T Longitude of
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