Numerical model of the Solar System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:21, 11 July 2005

Revision as of 06:51, 12 July 2005

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1.0 km / s = 0.000 577 459 AU / d

The [[code]] expects the initial velocities to be in units of [km/s]. The code was written this way for the reason that users may wish to generalize it so that the [[trajectories]] of spacecraft through the solar system may be calculated. Spacecraft using conventional [[chemical]] [[rocket fuels]] function by applying an [[engine]] [[burn]] in order to attain a change in [[velocity]] (a [[delta-v]]) in any given direction. The distance over which the spacecraft travels while a given engine burn is applied, is negligible compared to the distance scale of the solar system through which it will travel. Therefore a given delta-v may be considered to occur [[instantaneously]]. A delta-v is typically in units of [km/s]. Therefore while distances are often given in [AU], and time intervals in [d], velocities are often given in [km/s].

Now that we have both a set of equations of motion and a convenient system of units, we next need an [[algorithm]] for computing the [[coordinates]] of the solar system entities, as time passes.