Which scientist determined the relationship between the orbital position and time of flight?

Johannes Kepler

Ptolemy

Tycho Brahe

Nicolas Copernicus

Correct Answer : Johannes Kepler

Explanation : Time of flight which is the transit time between two positions in an orbit was found out by Johannes Kepler. He found out the relation between the orbital position and time of flight which came to be known as Kepler’s equation.

Recently Updated in Spaceflight Mechanics Questions

Which of the equations determines the time of flight for a parabolic trajectory?

Barker�s equation

Euler�s equation

Kepler�s equation

Madelung equation

Correct Answer : Option (A) : Barker�s equation

Explanation : Barker’s equation is used to determine the time of flight from periapsis to a position on the parabolic trajectory at a true anomaly of θ.

What is the imaginary angle between the periapsis point and the imagined position of an object for the same elapsed time called?

Eccentricity

True anomaly

Mean anomaly

Eccentric anomaly

Correct Answer : Option (C) : Mean anomaly

Explanation : The mean anomaly is an angle an imaginary satellite would have if it were in a circular orbit around the center point O with a time period T equal to the true satellite orbit.

Which of the angles defined by Kepler is used to obtain the position of the body using the auxiliary circle?

Eccentricity

True anomaly

Mean anomaly

Eccentric anomaly

Correct Answer : Option (D) : Eccentric anomaly

Explanation : Eccentric anomaly is the angle that is formed by drawing an auxiliary circle of an ellipse with center O and focus F. A perpendicular line is drawn to the semimajor axis intersecting at A. The angle E thus formed is the eccentric anomaly. It is used to obtain the position of the body in the orbit.