Astronomy
Avoiding an orbital collision
Watch a predicted conjunction and make an avoidance burn. Measure the actual closest approach and compare it with an unpowered pass.
The model and its limits
A conjunction at the real scale: the debris crosses on a straight relative line at kilometres per second, the satellite follows Hill’s equations under bounded thrust with finite propellant. One second of play is one minute of flight. The miss distance is deterministic, not a probabilistic collision risk; orbit uncertainty and manoeuvre planning are omitted. The display compresses the range logarithmically; the encounter holds its result after 55 minutes.
Equations used in the module
Equations x_ddot = 3 n² x + 2 n z_dot + a_x; y_ddot = -n² y + a_y; z_ddot = -2 n x_dot + a_z; d_min = min |r_1-r_2|
