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What will happen if the rocket moves slower than orbital velocity?
If a satellite is going very fast, it can go forward so quickly that the pull of gravity can’t keep it in an orbit. If it is going slowly, it will not go forward enough to counter the pull of gravity and crash into the thing it is orbiting around.
What happens if a spacecraft in orbit slows down too much?
If the satellite slows down it would crash into the object it is orbiting. If the satellite speeds up, it may spin off into space. The satellite could be knocked or moved closer or farther from the object it is orbiting.
What determines how fast or slow an object orbits?
The mean orbital speed of the object depends only on the Earth’s mass and the semi-major axis (half the longest diameter) of the object’s orbit. However, the orbital speed changes depending on where in the orbit the object is. It will be greatest when closest to Earth and least when furthest from Earth.
What determines a satellite’s orbital velocity?
A satellite’s orbital velocity will also depend on its altitude. The farther it is from the Earth, the slower its orbital velocity. At an altitude of 22,223 miles, a satellite remains at a fixed spot above the Earth, a type of orbit that is known as ‘geostationary’.
How fast does a rocket have to accelerate to escape gravity?
A rocket must accelerate to at least 25,039 mph (40,320 kph) to completely escape Earth’s gravity and fly off into space (for more on escape velocity, visit this article at NASA ). Earth’s escape velocity is much greater than what’s required to place an Earth satellite in orbit.
What happens when you fire a rocket from a spacecraft?
What your rocket will do will depend on which direction you fire. If your rocket is firing backward along your spacecraft you are adding energy to your orbit and you will move to a higher orbit. However your speed will decrease. If you fire the rocket along your path- you will reduce the energy of your orbit and lower it.
What happens to a satellite at a lower altitude?
If its path is at a lower altitude, it gets nearer the Earth’s atmosphere. This will cause drag, which can affect the satellite’s orbit negatively, eventually pulling it back into the Earth’s atmosphere and burning it. Satellites that stay at higher altitudes, such as the moon, can keep their orbits for hundreds of years.