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| SPAT0036-1 | Celestial mechanics and space trajectories
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| Duration : | 20h Th, 10h Pr |
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| Credits/ECTS : |
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| Holder(s) : | Grégor Rauw |
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| Language : | Langue française |
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| Course contents : | Celestial mechanics is one of the most fundamental disciplines of astronomy. It allows to accurately predict the motion of the planets and the minor bodies of the solar system, to determine the masses of stars or to design the trajectory of a space mission. This course reviews the fundamental concepts of celestial mechanics and illustrates some of the most important applications. |
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| Course objective : | The course starts by a brief summary of the history of celestial mechanics and by recalling the fundamental concepts of Newtonian mechanics. We then solve the two body problem and derive Kepler's laws for the different types of trajectories (circle, ellipses, parabola, hyperbola) and we introduce the elements of the orbit. The fact that planets are not point-like masses and are generally surrounded by an atmosphere (atmospheric drag) introduces deviations from a pure Keplerian motion for artificial satellites. These effects are treated as perturbations of the orbital elements. We then introduce the N-body problem. This problem does not have a general analytical solution and we first focus on the restricted 3-body problem that has a limited number of analytical solutions (the Lagrange solutions). We then define the concept of the sphere of influence that allows us to treat the N-body problem under certain circumstances as a perturbed 2-body problem. Finally, we briefly discuss the rotation of celestial bodies. |
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| Prerequisites : | Good knowledge of mathematics, physics and classical mechanics. |
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| Workshops : | Several hands-on sessions illustrate the concepts introduced during the lectures. The assessment will also include an exercise to be prepared as homework. |
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| Organization : | About 20h of lectures in combination with 10h of hands-on sessions. |
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| Written notes : | The lecture notes are provided in English. |
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| Assessment : | The evaluation includes the homework exercise as well as a written exam including theory and exercises. |
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| Contacts : | Gregor Rauw
Chercheur Qualifié FNRS
Institut d'Astrophysique et Géophysique, Bât. B5c
Allée du 6 Août, 17
4000 Liège
Tel. +32-(0)4 366 9740
e-mail: rauw@astro.ulg.ac.be |
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| Remarks : | N/A |
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