fisher@wsgate.DEC (Burns Fisher, MRO3-1/E13, DTN 231-4108.) (08/01/85)
-dick says > ...I don't understand why they ended up in a lower orbit, since they had > as much fuel as ever. Why not just burn longer? Do a simple limits experiment in your head. Imagine that all the main engines went off but that an imaginary 10-lb thrust engine using the same fuel supply kept burning. Would it make orbit? While it is true that with no other influences, burning extra time with lower thrust would get you to the same velocity, it would (1) not get you to the same location when you reached the target velocity, (with constant acceleration, velocity increases linearly with time, with distance increases as time**2) and (2) there are other influences such as gravity (imagine trying to launch the shuttle by burning the hypothetical 10-lb engine for years!). UUCP: ... {decvax|allegra|ucbvax}!decwrl!rhea!dvinci!fisher ARPA: fisher%dvinci.dec@decwrl.ARPA Burns