Читать книгу Foundations of Space Dynamics - Ashish Tewari - Страница 16

Space dynamics consists of two parts: (a) orbital mechanics, which describes the translation in space of the centre of mass of a rigid body primarily under the influence of gravity, and (b) attitude dynamics, which is the description of the rotation of the rigid body about its own centre of mass. While these two topics are largely studied separately, in some cases orbital mechanics and attitude dynamics are intrinsically coupled, such as when the rigid body experiences an appreciable gravity‐gradient torque during its orbit. Furthermore, when designing an attitude control system for a spacecraft, it is necessary to account for its orbital motion. Therefore, while elements of orbital mechanics and attitude dynamics can be grasped separately, their practical application involves a combined approach.