A vehicle in a circular orbit is transferred into a second orbit by impulsive thrust. At some subsequent intersection of the two orbits a second impulse is applied to transfer it back to the original orbit. In general the average angular velocity in the transfer orbit will differ from that in the circular orbit, and the epoch of the body will be changed by such a maneuver.nThis maneuver is studied with a goal of determining what conditions affect the choice of the transfer orbit. In particular the time taken for completion of the epoch change and the characteristic velocity required are studied. Finally it is shown that the imposition of a restriction on the minimum perigee radius considerably modifies the choice and even makes some conditions impossible to satisfy.
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