EMA 200 : Intro to Mechanics and Aerospace
Professor Jennifer Franck and Prateek Jaiswal
Orbit Analysis/Matlab Lab
This week’s goals are to:
• Become familiar with Matlab: a scientific computing program
• Learn the basics of the Hohmann Transfer : a low energy orbit transfer maneuver
This will be accomplished through the following tasks:
• Prelab: Matlab OnRamp https://matlabacademy.mathworks.com/details/matlab-
onramp/gettingstarted
• Hohmann Transfer Intro Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKXNbf6NCKU
• Handout: has important equations: hohmann.pdf
• Analysis: complete problems 1-8 below by hand
• Matlab implementation: complete problems 1-8 in Matlab: hohmann_ema200.m
• Final plots: Simulating a Hohmann transfer in Matlab
Items to submit on canvas:
• PDF scan of the completed analysis worksheet
• hohmann_ema200_LastName.m : your version of the m-file
• screenshots of your final matlab output and plots (as a single PDF)
Analysis Problems
This section utilizes the equations from the handout, and helps you outline the code you will
input into Matlab. You will only work on the coplanar and circular orbit transfer. The more
generalized transfers are already solved in the code.
It may help to open the file, hohmann_ema200.m, to follow along while you work on these
problems
1a) The user enters inclination angles in degrees (inc1_deg, inc2_deg). Convert the inclination
angles into radians: (inc1, inc2).
1b) Compute the absolute value of the difference in inclination angle: (dinc)
EMA 200 : Intro to Mechanics and Aerospace
Professor Jennifer Franck and Prateek Jaiswal
2a) The user enters altitudes (alt1, alt2). Compute the geocentric radii: (ri and rf), where req =
radius of earth.
2b) Compute the 3 normalized radii: (R1, R2, R3)
3) Compute the localized circular velocities: (Vlc1, Vlc2) The standard gravitational parameter
is µ (mu).
4) Compute the non-dimensional transfer orbit eccentricity: (ecct)
5) Compute the transfer orbit semimajor axis (smat), which is the mean of the two geocentric
radii.
EMA 200 : Intro to Mechanics and Aerospace
Professor Jennifer Franck and Prateek Jaiswal
6) The transfer orbit perigee radii is equivalent to the initial circular radii, rp=ri
Whereas the apogee radii is the same as the final circular orbit radii ra=rf
Starting with the expressions below, mathematically derive an expression for ra and rp that are
only a function of the transfer semimajor axis and the eccentricity.
𝑟! + 𝑟"
𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑡 = 𝑎 =
2
𝑟! − 𝑟"
𝑒𝑐𝑐𝑡 = 𝑒 =
𝑟! + 𝑟"
7) Compute the transfer velocities (vt1, vt2), as a function of µ, ra, and rp.
8) Compute the transfer time of flight (tof)
EMA 200 : Intro to Mechanics and Aerospace
Professor Jennifer Franck and Prateek Jaiswal
Matlab Coding
Complete in the CAE lab or download Matlab on your computer. Do NOT use the browser-
version of Matlab for this assignment.
1) Download the zip file, hohman_ema200.zip
2) Move it into your EMA 200 directory on OneDrive
3) Unzip the file
4) Find the file: hohmann_ema200.m, and open this file in Matlab
5) Check your Matlab environment: change your working directory if needed! See screenshot.
6) Scroll to line 85: beginning at this line you will insert the equations from your analysis
problems and convert them into code. Complete the code from Questions 1-8.
Matlab Debugging
To run your completed Matlab code, you can click the Green Run button. You will likely have
errors. The debugger can help you navigate which line it got stuck on. Careful to look for
spelling and name conventions across variables.
Matlab Plotting
The plotting and visualization is coded for you! Please use the following problem statement to
complete your code:
A 1000 kg spacecraft is in a circular parking orbit around the earth with an altitude of 300
km. The spacecraft needs to make it to a circular orbit of altitude 30,000km. A Hohmann
transfer will be used to conserve fuel. Both orbits will be coplanar (no change in
inclination angle).
What delta-v is required of the first and second stage?
Use your code and plot the output, including the visualization. Save to PDF.
Play around with code parameters, try different orbit transfers!
