Michael Minovitch
| Michael A. Minovitch | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Alma mater |
California UCLA |
| Doctoral advisor | Shoshichi Kobayashi |
| Known for | Calculating spacecraft trajectories |
Michael Andrew Minovitch (born c. 1936)[1] is an American mathematician who produced spacecraft trajectories enabling a craft to gain velocity by travelling close to a planet orbiting the sun. His own personal gravity assist technique was developed in the early 1960s when he was a UCLA graduate student and working summers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA..[2][3] In 1961 Minovitch began using the fastest available computer at the time, the IBM 7090, to solve the three-body problem. He ran simulations and developed his own solution by 1962.[1]
Early studies of comets in the late 19th century showed that their orbits were quite different after they had made a close approach to Jupiter. This indicated that a transfer of energy had occurred during the encounter.
The first mission to use a gravity assist was Pioneer 10, which increased its velocity from 52,000 km/h to 132,000 km/h as it passed by Jupiter in December, 1973.[4][5]
Inventions
Minovitch patented a vehicle for space travel under the patent title Magnetic propulsion system and operating method, US Patent 6193194 B1.
References
- 1 2 Christopher Riley and Dallas Campbell (October 23, 2012). "The maths that made Voyager possible". BBC News. Retrieved 2014-10-14.
- ↑ Minovitch, Michael (July 11, 1961). "An Alternative Method for Determination of Elliptic and Hyperbolic Trajectories" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory Technical Memos (TM-312-118).
- ↑ Minovitch, Michael (August 23, 1961). "A Method For Determining Interplanetary Free-Fall Reconnaissance Trajectories" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory Technical Memos (TM-312-130): 38–44.
- ↑ "The Pioneer Missions". nasa.gov. March 26, 2007. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- ↑ Bill Casselman. "Slingshots and Space shots". American Mathematical Society. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
External links
- Michael Minovitch at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- Jupiter swing-by trajectories passing near the earth Includes comprehensive history of the development of gravity-assist trajectories.
- Interview of Michael Minovitch by BBC Horizon on YouTube