A Brief History of Orbital Mechanics
Aristotle
(384-322
Aristotle
(384-322 BC)
BC)
Ptolemy
(87-150
Ptolemy
(87-150 AD)
AD)
Nicolaus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus(1473-1543)
(1473-1543)
Tycho
(1546-1601)
Tycho Brahe
Brahe
(1546-1601)
Johannes
(1571-1630)
Johannes Kepler
Kepler
(1571-1630)
Galileo
(1564-1642)
Galileo Galilei
Galilei
(1564-1642)
Sir
(1643-1727)
Sir Isaac
Isaac Newton
Newton
(1643-1727)
Aristotle and Ptolemy
~300 BC → ~100 AD
•• Earth
Earth at
at center
center of
of universe
universe
•• Observations
Observations don’t
don’t agree,
agree, hence
hence Ptolemaic
Ptolemaic view
view
Aristotelian to Copernican
Geocentric
Geocentric to
to Heliocentric
Heliocentric
300
300 BC
BC to
to 1500
1500 AD
AD
Tycho Brahe’s Island
Hven in the Sont near Copenhagen
(1546-1601)
Kepler (1571-1630)
••
••
••
Worked
Worked as
as assistant
assistant to
to Brahe
Brahe in
in Prague
Prague
“Inherited”
“Inherited” Brahe’s
Brahe’s observations
observations
Used
Used curve
curve fits
fits to
to establish
establish three
three laws
laws of
of
orbital
orbital motion
motion
I.I. The
The orbit
orbit of
of each
each planet
planet isis an
an ellipse
ellipse
with
with the
the Sun
Sun at
at one
one focus.
focus.
II.
II. The
The line
line joining
joining the
the planet
planet to
to the
the Sun
Sun
sweeps
sweeps out
out equal
equal areas
areas in
in equal
equal times.
times.
III.
III. The
The square
square of
of the
the period
period of
of aa planet’s
planet’s
orbit
orbit isis proportional
proportional to
to the
the cube
cube of
of its
its
mean
mean distance
distance to
to the
the sun.
sun.
Galileo (1564-1642)
•• Perhaps
Perhaps the
the first
first experimental
experimental
physicist
physicist
•• First
First telescope:
telescope: Galilean
Galilean moons
moons
•• Mathematics
Mathematics professor
professor at
at
University
University of
of Pisa
Pisa
•• Determined
Determined the
the “pendulum”
“pendulum”
principle
principle while
while observing
observing
chandelier
chandelier motion
motion in
in church
church
•• Sentenced
Sentenced to
to house
house arrest
arrest for
for
advocating
advocating the
the Copernican
Copernican
view
view of
of the
the universe
universe
Newton (1643-1727)
• Kepler’s Laws were based on observation
data: “curve fits”
• Newton established the theory
– Universal Gravitational Law
GMm
Fg = − 2
r
– Second Law
r
r&
&
F = mr
m
r
M
Universal Gravitational Constant
G = 6.672 ×10
−11
3
−1 −2
m kg s
A Brief History of Aeronautics
Daedulus
Daedulus &
& Icarus
Icarus ((Greek
Greek Mythology
Mythology))
Leonardo
Leonardo da
da Vinci
Vinci (1452-1519)
(1452-1519)
Montgolfier
Montgolfier Bros.
Bros. (~1740-1810)
(~1740-1810)
George
(1773-1857)
George Cayley
Cayley
(1773-1857)
Otto
(1848-1896)
Otto Lilienthal
Lilienthal
(1848-1896)
Samuel
Samuel Pierpont
Pierpont Langley
Langley (1834
(1834 –– 1906)
1906)
Wilbur
(1867
Wilbur Wright
Wright
(1867 –– 1912)
1912)
Orville
(1871-1948)
Orville Wright
Wright
(1871-1948)
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
•• The
The original
original Renaissance
Renaissance Man:
Man: painter,
painter, inventor,
inventor,
writer
writer
•• Sketched
Sketched several
several “aerospace”
“aerospace” vehicle
vehicle concepts
concepts
Note:
Note: the
the King
King Crimson
Crimson song
song “Night
“Night Watch”
Watch” tells
tells the
the story
story of
of aa scandal
scandal that
that
occurred
occurred in
in LdV’s
LdV’s life
life
Montgolfier Brothers
Joseph-Michael (1740-1810)
Jacques-Ètienne (1745-1799)
•• Inventors
Inventors of
of the
the first
first practical
practical balloon
balloon
•• 1782:
1782: discovered
discovered that
that heated
heated air
air in
in aa paper
paper or
or
fabric
fabric bag
bag made
made the
the bag
bag rise
rise
•• 1783:
1783: “flew”
“flew” aa sheep,
sheep, aa duck,
duck, and
and aa rooster
rooster
for
for 88 minutes;
minutes;
Louis
Louis XIV
XIV and
and Marie
Marie
Antoinette
Antoinette were
were witnesses
witnesses
•• November
November 1783:
1783:
first
first human
human flight
flight
Sir George Cayley (1773-1857)
••
••
••
••
Father
Father of
of aviation
aviation
Built
Built his
his first
first aerial
aerial
device
device in
in 1796:
1796: aa
model
model helicopter
helicopter with
with
contra-rotating
contra-rotating
propellers
propellers
In
In 1804
1804 designed
designed and
and
built
built aa model
model monoplane
monoplane
glider
glider
In
In 1849
1849 built
built aa large
large gliding
gliding
machine
machine
The Cayley Medallion, depicting
(left) a Monoplane Glider and
(right) Lift and Drag - 1799
A Science Fiction Flight
This illustration from Jules
Verne’s Round the Moon
(1873) shows the effects of
“weightlessness” on the
passengers of The Gun
Club’s “bullet” capsule that
was fired from a large gun
in Florida.
The passengers only
experienced this at the halfway point between the
Earth and the Moon.
Physically accurate?
Otto von Lilienthal (1848-1896)
•• Collected
Collected aerodynamic
aerodynamic data,
data,
and
and emphasized
emphasized that
that curvature
curvature
of
of aa bird’s
bird’s wings
wings isis
key
key to
to flight
flight
•• Made
Made >2000
>2000
glider
glider flights
flights between
between
1891
1891 and
and 1896
1896
•• Died
Died in
in aa glider
glider accident
accident in
in 1896
1896
Samuel Pierpont Langley
(1834 – 1906)
•• Astronomer
Astronomer and
and Director
Director of
of the
the Smithsonian,
Smithsonian,
became
became interested
interested in
in flight
flight in
in his
his 50s
50s
•• 1903:
1903: attempted
attempted catapult-launch
catapult-launch of
of gasolinegasolineengine,
engine, piloted
piloted “aerodrome”
“aerodrome” from
from aa
houseboat
houseboat in
in the
the Potomac.
Potomac. Failed
Failed
•• Spent
Spent more
more than
than $50,000
$50,000 of
of federal
federal funds;
funds;
was
was ridiculed
ridiculed by
by the
the press
press and
and Congress
Congress
Wright Brothers
Wilbur (1867 – 1912)
Orville (1871 – 1948)
•• Wilbur
Wilbur was
was born
born in
in Indiana
Indiana and
and Orville
Orville was
was
born
born in
in Ohio;
Ohio; they
they grew
grew up
up in
in Dayton,
Dayton, Ohio
Ohio
•• Designed
Designed the
the Wright
Wright Flyer
Flyer in
in their
their bicycle
bicycle shop
shop
•• December
December 17,
17, 1903:
1903: first
first manned
manned flight,
flight, Kitty
Kitty
Hawk,
Hawk, North
North Carolina
Carolina
Mystery Vehicle #1
Mystery Vehicle #2
Messerschmitt Me 262
•• First
First operational
operational jet-powered
jet-powered aircraft
aircraft
•• Saw
Saw action
action from
from late
late 1944
1944 in
in both
both
bomber/reconnaissance
bomber/reconnaissance and
and fighter/interceptor
fighter/interceptor roles
roles
Blue
Blue Oyster
Oyster Cult’s
Cult’s “Me
“Me 262”
262” isis about
about this
this airplane
airplane
Bell X-1
•• First
First supersonic
supersonic flight
flight 14
14 October
October 1947
1947 by
by Capt.
Capt.
Charles
Charles Yeager
Yeager
•• Designed
Designed for
for conventional
conventional takeoff,
takeoff, but
but most
most
flights
flights were
were taken
taken to
to 20,000
20,000 ftft on
on aa B-29
B-29 or
or B-50
B-50
bomber
bomber
Length
Length 31.00
31.00 ftft (9.45
(9.45 m)
m)
Wingspan
Wingspan 28.00
28.00 ftft (8.53
(8.53 m)
m)
Height
Height 10.85
10.85 ftft (3.31
(3.31 m)
m)
2
2
Wing
Wing Area
Area 130.0
130.0 ftft2 (12.01
(12.01 m
m2))
Max
Max Takeoff
Takeoff 13,400
13,400 lb
lb (6,080
(6,080 kg)
kg)