Satellites Definition and 176 Threads

I've studied the basics of this in a physics textbook, and have searched on this forum, but one thing about this escapes me. My understanding is that a satellite is elevated somewhere above the Earth's atmosphere where air resistance is negligible. The satellite is then accelerated to a very...

I am told that the Earth's rotation is inconstant and unpredictable. If that's the case, then how do geosynchronous satellites, such as weather satellites, stay so well aligned? Thanks

How are artificitial satellites made to point to the surface of the Earth as they orbit? Is it due their spin angular momentum?

1. A spy satellite is in circular orbit around earth. It makes one revolution in 6.00 h. (a) How high above the Earth's surface is the satellite? (b) What is the satellite's acceleration?

Homework Statement Two satellites have mistakenly been put in identical Earth orbits of radius R. Satellite A with mass "m" is orbiting clockwise while satellite B with mass "2m" is orbiting counterclocwise. The two satellites have a head on collision and move as one body after the collision...

Hello guys, first post ;p I am currently doing an info search for physics at school about weather and communication satellites. I'm not 100% sure if they're right because I've surfed the web and either get too broad answers or one that makes no sense lol At the moment, my understanding of how...

We're doing orbits and such in physics at the moment, and out teacher said "if a geostationary satellite gets further away, it has to go faster". I get this, because with a bigger orbit it would have to move faster to stay above the same point on earth, more distance to travel in the same time...

Homework Statement A geosynchronous satellite is one that stays above the same point on the equator of the earth. Determine the height above the Earth's surface such a satellite must orbit and find it's speed. Homework Equations Fg = GM1M2/r^2 The Attempt at a Solution I really don't know...

Homework Statement you are in charge of placing a satellite of mass 5130kg into an orbit around the planet Jupiter. The orbit has an altitude of 3.59E+5m. What is the orbital velocity of the satellite? Homework Equations Velocity = square root (G * m/r) The Attempt at a...

Homework Statement Three satellites orbit a planet of radius R, as shown in the figure. Satellites S_1 and S_3 have mass m. Satellite S_2 has mass 2 m. Satellite S_1 orbits in 250 minutes and the force on S_1 is 10,000 N. See attached figure (knight_Figure_12_26.jpg). a. What is the...

For example, most satellites will have CPU processors. On land, they require a heat-sink to transfer the energy to the air quickly so the CPU reaches ambient temperatures. But on a satellite there is no significant mass to absorb the generated heat from processing. So how are satellites kept...

Ah, please, someone help me. I've been working on this problem for half an hour, it's the last question on my review before my test, which i want to write right now (correspondence). Homework Statement If a satellite requires 2.5 h to orbit a planet with an orbital radius of 2.6 x 10^5 m...

I would've thought something like that would be do-able given we've landed on the moon, but also quite useful for discovering more about it.

i want to ask ...how can i model sloshing of fuel in satellite feul tank , to an energy sink model... can anybody help me?

does the moon's gravitational field have any considerable affect on satellites orbiting earth??

Homework Statement http://mp.pearsoncmg.com/probhtml/ActivePhysics/pt1a/Media/CircularMotion/SatellitesOrbit/Sim1.html This applet shows satellites orbiting a central body from various starting distances. The mass of the central body is much greater than the masses of the satellites. You...

Two satellites, A and B, both of mass m = 110 kg, move in the same circular orbit of radius r = 7.45 x 10^6 m around Earth but in opposite senses of rotation and therefore on a collision course. (a) What is the total mechanical energy EA + EB of the two satellites + Earth system before the...

hey guys ^_^ could anyone please explain to me how exactly these work? i mean, i know its due to conservation of angular momentum that allows spacecraft s to rotate in the opposite direction of the momentum wheel acceleration. but could anyone perhaps go through some equations of the...

Homework Statement Earths´ satellite orbits 4200km above Earths surface. Count satellites´ trajectory circle-shaped and calculate satellites´period of revolution. The Attempt at a Solution I added the Earths´ radius to the 4200 km, which represents the orbiting attitude and then my mind...

Homework Statement #1 A satellite is in a circular orbit around an unknown planet/ The satellite has a speed of 1.70 x 104 m/s, and the radius of the orbit is 5.25 x 106 m. A second satellite also has a circular orbit around this same planet. The orbit of this second satellite has a radius...

Does the gravity of Earth do any work on satellites orbiting the planet, assuming perfect circular orbit? General Definition of work: W=(line integral) F * ds , F=force vector, ds=infinitesimal displacement vector, *=dot product. We know that in circular motion, the velocity vector is...

Hello guys, I do not know how to solve these problems could you help me please? 1- A satellite of mass 59.0 Kg is being pulled out of orbit by 450.0 Netwons of gravity. Small thrusters are used to maneuver the satellite back to its orbite. What thrust would cause the satellite to move with...

A geostationary satellite in orbit around the Earth has a period identical to that of the Earth's daily rotation; the radius of such an orbit is 4.23 \times 10^4 kilometers. A system of satellites is proposed such that 15 satellites are in orbit at the same radius and each passes over a point...

Homework Statement Two Earth satellites, A and B, each of mass each of 980kg, are launched into circular orbits around the Earth's center. Satellite A orbits at an altitude of 4500kg, and satellite B orbits at an altitude of 13600km. What are the potential energies of the two satellites...

Homework Statement "Calculate the work done on a 5000kg satellite that moves from an orbit with an altitude of 300km to one with an altitude of 600km" mass of Earth = 5.98x10^24 kg mean radius of Earth = 6.37x10^6 m Homework Equations Force between 2 objects in space G x (m1 x...

Homework Statement To get a flat, uniform cylindrical satellite spinning at the correct rate, engineers fire four tangential rockets as shown in the figure. If the satellite has a mass of 3600 kg, a radius of 4.6 m, and the rockets each add a mass of 230 kg, what is the required steady force...

A satellite is in a particular orbit. Too put it in a higher orbit(greater distance from earth), we increase its velocity. I suppose this statement is correct. But when we fire an object from earth, its velocity is lesser for greater distances from earth. Can anyone please simplify this...

Homework Statement Explain why a geostationary satellite must be placed vertically above the equator. Homework Equations i know a GS has a period of 24 h,... and that it remains at a specific position with respect to a point on earth. The Attempt at a Solution i googled a bit...

With the threat of satellites being blown up, would fiber optics offer a practical alternative for communications or other applications?

One summer night in 2005 I was out on my roof with a couple of my friends, and the sky was perfectly clear. We could see thousands of stars, it was amazing. We were in the countryside far away from any city lights. Well, the entire night we were just star gazing and every 5 minutes we...

Homework Statement Using a development similar to Kepler's law of periods for planets orbiting the Sun, find the required altitude of geosynchronous satellites above the earth. Homework Equations (R^3)/T^2=(G*M)/(4pi^2) The Attempt at a Solution I'm honestly not even sure where to start...

Why do we have to observe ultraviolet radiation using rockets or satellites, where as balloons are sufficient for obervations?

1. Two satellites are orbiting around Earth. One satellite has a period of 1.4hours and is 200km above Earths surface. The other satellite has a period of 6.0h. Use Kepler's laws and the fact the radius of Earth is 6.37 x 10^6meters to determine the height of the second satellite above Earths...

Homework Statement What provides the force that causes the centripetal acceleration of a satellite in orbit? 2. The attempt at a solution I'm really confused about the answer to this question because in class my teacher only taught us how to solve satellite problems if we are given...

Homework Statement [PLAIN][PLAIN]http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j64/mrbebu/Physics_orbit_problem.jpg Homework Equations \frac{GMm}{R^{2}} v = \sqrt{\frac{GM}{R}} v = wR The Attempt at a Solution Am I correct in my methods and thinking? R_g = Geosynchrous orbit from Earth's center =...

Homework Statement A spy satellite is in circular orbit around Earth. It makes one revolution in 6.02 hours. (Radius of the Earth=6.371 times 106 m) (a) How high above Earth's surface is the satellite? (b) What is the satellite's acceleration? Homework Equations v = sqrt(G*M Earth...

The satellites of GPS sysstem had been adjusted so they compensate for GR and SR dilation of time due their velocity and less gravity. This is what I found on Internet ( Not all agree ). Is that true ? But I´d like to know if the frequency of the ground stations that control the...

Homework Statement why a more massive communications satellite doesn't orbit more slowly than a smaller one? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution The larger satellite will have more mass but it will also have a far greater gravitational force acting on it no matter where...

I do wonder if space-time curvature can be applied to artificial satellites ... I think yes because that could be the reason why they are revolving around earth. Doubt:But what happens if they gain velocity more than the escape velocity. I could be conceptually wrong but if the above...

Homework Statement Determine Kepler's constant for all Earth Satellites. No information is given, only the question. Homework Equations K=R³/t² The Attempt at a Solution I decided to use the moon as a satellite. So I went K=(384,403,000)³/(2,360,594.88)² For R I used the distance from the...

Homework Statement Some communication satellites are put into a circular geosynchronius orbit in which the satellite remains above a certain postion on the Earth's equator as it orbits. Such a satellite would always be in the same position in the sky as seen from the transmitting or recieveing...

Homework Statement The planet T is a planet of mass M and radius R, and very thin atmosphere (no air resistance). A rail gun has been mounted on the surface of T at the North Pole. A projectile of mass m is fired form the rail gun with an unknown speed vo at an unknown angle θ with respect to...

:confused: Hi every1, I am currently doing a posterboard and i need sum help...I need to know how satellites stay in space..i need to sdo an expierement then post pictures, questions, summarys, etc. Anyone have and ideas on how to signify how a satellite stays in space? A friend of mine...

Homework Statement Two satellites of equal mass, S1 and S2, orbit the earth. S1 is orbiting at a distance r from the Earth's center at speed v. S2 orbits at a distance 2r from the Earth's center at speed (v/squareroot2) . The ratio of the centripetal force on S1 to the centripetal force on S2...

I am looking over the Project A: Global Positioning System is Exploring Black Holes; introduction to General Relativity by Taylor and Wheeler. At first, they convincingly suggest that the time dilation caused by the differences in radius from Earth clocks to the satelight clocks will cause the...

Homework Statement PROBLEM What is orbital speed of 2nd satellite? VARIABLES velocity of satellite 1 is 17000 meters/second radius of satellite 1 to center of planet is 5250000 meters radius of satellite 2 to planet is 8600000 m Homework Equations Fc = mv2/r The Attempt at a...

i need to do a work about aerodynamic stabilization on satelites.. can anyone help thanks

when a satalite orbits the Earth my text states that it is constantly falling into the Earth as it moves tangentially -- my question is why doesn't the speed of the object falling into the Earth increase radially since it is acted upon by the force of gravity, a force of gravity would cause an...

Negative GPE? hmm...i came across this qn which ask whether a satellite which has twice the mass of the other will have a higher gravitational potnetial energy...so the formula for GPE will be -GMm/r right? i deduce that since the mass of satellite i greater it will posses greater GPE but i was...

Find the speed of a satellite in a circular orbit around the Earth with a radius 2.93 times the mean radius of the Earth; RE= 6.37·103 km ME= 5.98·1024 kg