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The fundamental principle to be understood concerning satellites is that a satellite is a projectile. That is to say, a satellite is an object upon which the only force is gravity. Once launched into orbit, the only force governing the motion of a satellite is the force of gravity. Newton was the first to theorize that a projectile launched ...
Consider a satellite of mass m in a circular orbit about Earth at distance r from the center of Earth (Figure 13.12). It has centripetal acceleration directed toward the center of Earth. Earth’s gravity is the only force acting, so Newton’s second law gives
Determine the orbital speed and period for the International Space Station (ISS). Strategy. Since the ISS orbits 4.00 x 10 2 km above Earth’s surface, the radius at which it orbits is R E + 4.00 x 10 2 km. We use Equations \ref {13.7} and \ref {13.8} to find the orbital speed and period, respectively.
g = (G • Mcentral)/R2. Thus, the acceleration of a satellite in circular motion about some central body is given by the following equation. where G is 6.673 x 10 -11 N•m 2 /kg 2, Mcentral is the mass of the central body about which the satellite orbits, and R is the average radius of orbit for the satellite.
Most Earth-orbiting satellites are orbiting at a distance high above the Earth such that their motion is unaffected by forces of air resistance. Indeed, a satellite is a projectile. Second, a satellite is acted upon by the force of gravity and this force does accelerate it towards the Earth. In the absence of gravity a satellite would move in a ...
As the satellite moves, the distance away from the planet or star changes (Figure 10.3, right). Mechanical energy is conserved. This means that as the GPE decreases, when the satellite is closest to the planet, the KE will increase, and vice versa. Therefore, when the satellite is closest to the planet, it will be moving at the fastest speed.
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What is the only force governing the motion of a satellite?
What is the principle of a satellite?
How does gravity affect a satellite?
Is a satellite a projectile?
How much weight does a satellite have?
How is the period of a satellite related to the distance?
Gravity is a force that attracts all objects towards each other. People are attracted towards the Earth and the Earth towards people, the Moon and the Earth are attracted towards each other, and the Sun and the Earth are attracted towards each other. All of these attractions are caused by gravity. Gravitational attraction is greater for more massive objects. Gravity decreases as distance ...
