Orbital Mechanics Concepts
App-agnostic reference pages on the formats, models, and frames that ExoAtlas apps are built on. These pages explain the underlying ideas — the app-specific guides live in each app's own documentation section, starting with the Orbit Visualizer.
Concept pages
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How to read a TLE
Field-by-field anatomy of the two-line element format: epoch, B*, checksums, element set number, and why TLE age matters.
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Propagation models
What two-body, J2 secular, and SGP4/SDP4 each model and omit; when each is appropriate; honest accuracy expectations.
Planned additions: classical orbital elements, state vectors, time & reference frames, and a glossary.
See the concepts live
Every concept page links into the Orbit Visualizer with a prefilled example, so you can go from reading to a working 3D scenario in one click.