The effects of tidal forces on an elastic satellite in a closed orbit

An evaluation is presented of the impact of tidal forces on both the secular changes in the orbital elements and the material stability, using an elastic deformation model for the satellite. The analysis of the material stability yields an estimate of the elasto-gravitational Roche limit. The critical semilatus rectum has been obtained for both circular orbits and for elliptical orbits with small eccentricity. The secular orbital variation due to tidal forces manifests itself predominantly in terms of the precession of the perihelion for orbits with a non-zero eccentricity. The effect is small compared with the general relativistic effect for the Sun/Mercury system. The effect is large for the Earth/Moon system.