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Change in thrust conditions

Change in thrust conditions
Change in thrust conditions Schematic of the change in thrust conditions at 152 seconds (exaggerated for clarity). Akatsuki’s dimensions are 1.4 x 1.4 x 1 meters: assuming a moment of inertia for a uniform ~1.2 m 450 kilogram cube of about 100 kgm2, then an angular acceleration of approximately 5 degrees/second2 (~0.1 radian/second2) requires that a torque of about 0.1 * 100 kgm2 = 10 Nm was applied. If the thrust was about 300 newtons, then a misalignment of the thrust vector by about 3 centimeters, or 4 degrees, would have the observed effect.