Table of Contents
What is the minimum distance for a satellite to orbit Earth?
about 80 to 90 miles depending on the size and shape of the object in orbit. A small aerodynamic object might stay in orbit for a few orbits but atmospheric drag from the very thin atmosphere would quickly slow the object causing it to fall from orbit.
Does a satellite in a circular orbit travel at a constant speed?
Why does a satellite in a circular orbit travel at a constant speed? There is no component of force acting along the direction of motion of the satellite. The net force acting on the satellite is zero. The gravitational force acting on the satellite is balanced by the centrifugal force acting on the satellite.
What is special about an orbit 42 000 km away from Earth’s Centre?
Geosynchronous satellites orbit the Earth at a distance of 42,000 km from the Earth’s center. Their angular velocity at this height is the same as the rotation of the Earth, so they appear stationary at certain locations in the sky.
What are the necessary conditions to put a satellite into an orbit around the Earth?
The conditions for satellite to appear stationary are: (i) The time-period should be 24 hours. (ii) Its orbit should be in the equatorial plane of the earth. (iii) Its direction of motion should be the same as that of the earth about its polar axis.
At what altitude do satellites orbit the earth?
between 160 and 2,000 kilometers
The majority of satellites orbiting the Earth do so at altitudes between 160 and 2,000 kilometers. This orbital regime is called low Earth orbit, or LEO, due to the satellites’ relative closeness to the Earth. Satellites in LEO typically take between 90 minutes and 2 hours to complete one full orbit around the Earth.
Do satellites move in circular orbit?
The orbits of satellites about a central massive body can be described as either circular or elliptical. As mentioned earlier in Lesson 4, a satellite orbiting about the earth in circular motion is moving with a constant speed and remains at the same height above the surface of the earth.
Do satellites have circular orbits?
All orbits are elliptical, which means they are an ellipse, similar to an oval. For the planets, the orbits are almost circular. Satellites that orbit Earth, including the moon, do not always stay the same distance from Earth.
Can you orbit Earth forever?
6 Answers. The answer is a solid ‘no’. There is no way a satellite could stay in orbit indefinitely.
What satellite has been in orbit the longest?
The Vanguard 1 satellite and upper launch stage hold the record for being in space longer than any other human-made object, and as such have traveled farther over the Earth’s surface than any other human-made object.
Is it possible to place a satellite?
Answer: It is possible to place an artificial satellite in an orbit, such that it is always visible over New Delhi. Explanation: A satellite remains always visible only if it revolves in the equatorial plane with a period of revolution equal to that of the earth.
How long does it take a satellite to orbit the Earth?
For a very low orbit of around 100 miles a velocity of about 17500 miles per hour is needed and this means that the satellite will orbit the Earth in about 90 minutes. At an altitude of 22 000 miles a velocity of just less than 7000 miles per hour is needed giving an orbit time of about 24 hours. Circular and elliptical orbit definitions
How do you find the mass of a satellite in orbit?
Consider a satellite of mass m in a circular orbit about Earth at distance r from the center of Earth ( Figure ). It has centripetal acceleration directed toward the center of Earth. Earth’s gravity is the only force acting, so Newton’s second law gives GmM E r2 =mac = mv2 orbit r. G m M E r 2 = m a c = m v orbit 2 r.
What are the two types of satellites in orbit around Earth?
A satellites orbit the Earth in one of two basic types of orbit. Circular satellite orbit: For a circular orbit, the distance from the Earth remains the same at all times. Elliptical satellite orbit: The elliptical orbit changes the distance to the Earth
What would happen if satellites had no motion of their own?
If they did not have any motion of their own they would fall back to Earth, burning up in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Instead the motion of the satellite rotating around the Earth has a force associated with it pushing it away from the Earth.