Author here. I'm a space engineer (PhD, 30+ patents; founded RKF Engineering and Kythera Space Solutions, sold both in 2025) — this analysis started as the technical appendix of a novel I'm writing. Happy to answer questions or defend the math. Full appendix with the complete derivations is a free download: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/zf9caalfyl

wow cowcatchers sure have come a long way https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowcatcher