For K-12 Students · Orbital Transfer
Orbital Transfer for a gliding albatross
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a gliding albatross live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Orbital Transfer (Hohmann)Live
minimum-energy orbit change
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The Hohmann transfer is the fuel-cheapest way between two circular orbits: one burn to enter the transfer ellipse, one to circularize. See the two Δv costs.
Presets
Data Inspector
Δv burn 11.64
Δv burn 21.34
Total Δv2.99
Transfer time61.3
Governing equation
Reading this result: A moderate transfer (90 → 200, ~2.2×): burn 1 (1.64) enters the ellipse, burn 2 (1.34) circularizes. Bigger ratios cost more total Δv (2.99) and coast longer (61.3).
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Orbital Transfer for a gliding albatross" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.