2023. Is a Spacecraft’s Orbit Determined by A) Its Center of Mass Or B) Its Center of Gravity
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Paper
2023. Is a Spacecraft’s Orbit Determined by A) Its Center of Mass Or B) Its Center of Gravity. 1991.
Abstract
Nearly every working day, someone will ask a mass properties engineer where a CG is located. He or she answers with the location of the center of mass, which is not exactly the same thing, but is the same for all practical purposes. Metrology specialists treat centers of gravity and centers of mass identically. This study explains the difference in CG and CM, illustrated by the trivia question which provides the paper title.