(41C) Tracking Satellites in Elliptical Orbits

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An extract from Computer program and sample problem for tracking OSCAR , Ham Radio, MAR 1981 (pgs. 46-50)

"The altitude and velocity of a satellite in a circular orbit are nearly constant. However, both altitude and velocity are always changing during an elliptical orbit …
The spot on the earth surface directly beneath the satellite is called the subsatellite point. A plot of the path of this point is the ground track and must include the effects of earth rotation. If the altitude and subsatellite point are known at a given time, the azimuth and elevation can be found using the same equations as for circular orbits …
A program for the HP-41C programmable calculator and printer was written to test the equations and to learn more about elliptic orbits …"

Excellent documentation.

BEST!
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