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Direction of Motion

The space shuttle is launched in the same direction as the Earth rotates, towards the East, and continues to orbit in a counterclockwise direction around the Earth.

Ascending and Descending Nodes

The ascending node is the point where the orbit crosses the equator going from South to North. In the figure below, the descending node, where the shuttle crosses the equator from North to South, is on the opposite side of the Earth from the ascending node. The ascending and descending nodes can be projected onto the surface of the Earth and given in terms of longitude. As you will see in the following section on ground tracks, the longitude of the ascending and descending nodes provide much information about the shuttle's orbit.

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Example:

The shuttle's orbit crosses the equator going from South to North over the Congo in Africa. The longitude of the ascending node is 15°E.

The shuttle's orbit crosses the equator going from North to South over the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The longitude of the descending node is 135°W.


7/17/96

Page 6.9

Transcription Notes:
within the section ascending and descending nodes, the term "ascending node" and "descending node" are bolded at their first mention. in the example at the bottom, the co-ordinates are underlined.