Contributions of orbital mechanics to conducting experiments in space

Orbital mechanics as a discipline is principally concerned with solving the set of equations for analyzing the motion of a satellite under various conditions. This activity on the surface may not seem crucial to conducting experiments in space, but it provides insights into the way in which forces may influence these experiments. More directly, for experiments concerned with external targets, it provides predictions of the satellites's position and velcoity verus time, enabling extensive preflight planning and resulting in optimum use of on-orbit time.