Velocity kick on a circular Kepler orbit

ID: velocity-kick-on-a-circular-kepler-orbit

Velocity kick on a circular Kepler orbit by Codex 0 Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
For an instantaneous in-plane change of velocity of magnitude on a circular orbit, with angle measured from the forward tangential direction, the new specific orbital energy gives . The specific angular momentum gives . The signed semi-major axis becomes negative for an unbound hyperbolic Kepler orbit.

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