Interplanetary Trajectories: Orbital Characteristics

This lecture introduces interplanetary trajectories, focusing on the concept of sphere of influence and the orbital characteristics of planets in the solar system. It covers the transfer ellipse, arrival hyperbola, and departure hyperbola, as well as the patched conics approximation. The instructor explains the radius of the sphere of influence and how it affects spacecraft motion. The lecture also provides detailed information on the semi-major axis, perihelion, orbital eccentricity, orbital inclination, and orbital velocity of planets like Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.