Re: MMU Question

From: Jim Oberg (jameseoberg_at_houston.rr.com)
Date: 03/23/05 

Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 13:50:59 GMT

"Jorge R. Frank" <jrfrank@ibm-pc.borg> wrote
> The key is to pull off the rescue before it *becomes* a rendezvous
problem,
> and that's just what we teach 'em. Orbital mechanics effects are (roughly)
> proportional to range, so if you start quickly enough, you can keep it a
> prox ops problem and brute-force your way to the target.

Jorge is as always insightful and correct. It would be
practically impossible for the crewman to live long enough,
at any potential separation rate, for it to BECOME a
'rendezvous problem' requiring targeting an intercept
burn (which the orbiter computers CAN do on their own)
in a multi-rev sequence.

For ranges below a few hundred meters, 'orbital mechanics'
effects can be muscled with thruster firings.

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