Fundamentos físicos do lançamento de um satélite

Abstract

According to Carleal (1999), given the attraction of man to know space as found in the first records of sky observations, several technologies were developed that allowed different countries to participate in space exploration. Since the beginning of the well-known Space Race, these technologies have made it possible not only to discover more about space, but also to use, together with the knowledge resulting from space studies already done, to elaborate instruments useful to man, for example rockets as a means of transport to the environment. It may carry tools such as satellites that are in charge of recording and communicating data. Today, such instruments become indispensable in the midst of the dependence on everyday use technologies such as mobile phones, GPS, military uses, among others. It is possible to review the studies and technologies developed so far and realize that satellites and rockets, as mentioned earlier, retain an important role. This work presents the basics of a launch according to the current scenario of available technologies in Brazil, aiming to indicate which physical and mathematical theories are necessary to enable the hypothetical satellite launch, highlighting which among the analyzed rockets and satellites are advisable for an academic study project. From the bibliographical analyzes made to theoretically base a rocket launch, the Newton Mechanical Laws that led him to publish the Law of Universal Gravitation should be highlighted, and to understand about satellite positioning in orbit, the Kepler’s Laws are highlighted that talk about the movement of planets and satellites. Among the exposed satellites, Pico and Nano satellites were seen as the most indicative given an academic study project. For such launch, considering the economics of resources, it is proposed to couple the satellites as "rides" on medium or large weight satellites, such as the Brazilian-made Sonda III and Sonda IV rockets, which can carry several loads along its path.