Astronomy Live | Did Artemis 1 Miss the Moon? @Astronomy_Live | Uploaded November 2022 | Updated October 2024, 35 minutes ago.
There seems to be a common misconception that the Artemis I launch should have appeared to fly directly to the moon. Since I tracked the launch and also captured Orion one orbit after launch and again one day after launch (youtube.com/watch?v=0MDBAv-JvmE ) I can use these observations to calculate the orbit of the Orion capsule just after TLI but before the first mid-course correction burn. I imported the orbital elements from my observations into Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator (orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk ) and used a Block I SLS mod to simulate the launch while targeting the orbit I measured. This allowed me to determine if SLS and the ICPS could put Orion on that post-TLI trajectory and if it was possible for Orion to perform a close fly-by of the moon from that trajectory.
Music: Stellardrone
There seems to be a common misconception that the Artemis I launch should have appeared to fly directly to the moon. Since I tracked the launch and also captured Orion one orbit after launch and again one day after launch (youtube.com/watch?v=0MDBAv-JvmE ) I can use these observations to calculate the orbit of the Orion capsule just after TLI but before the first mid-course correction burn. I imported the orbital elements from my observations into Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator (orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk ) and used a Block I SLS mod to simulate the launch while targeting the orbit I measured. This allowed me to determine if SLS and the ICPS could put Orion on that post-TLI trajectory and if it was possible for Orion to perform a close fly-by of the moon from that trajectory.
Music: Stellardrone
