Herrick / Gibbs orbit determination
Herrick or Gibbs velocity at the middle epoch from three position samples.
SIDUS educational calculator. Category orbital. Tags: analysis, GNC, orbital. Pure SI. Not flight software.
Formula
v₂(r₁,r₂,r₃)
Herrick-Gibbs OD
Primary sources
- Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications (David A. Vallado): Standard reference for two-body, Lambert, maneuvers, and J2. Equations implemented independently in SIDUS.
- Orbital Mechanics for Engineering Students (Howard D. Curtis): Textbook derivations for Hohmann, vis-viva, rocket equation, elements.
How do AI agents use this tool?
Read /llms.txt or call https://sidus.tools/api/mcp. Open the interactive page for live SI inputs.