Why Don T Satellites In Orbit Fall To The Ground
Gravity combined with the satellite s momentum from its launch into space cause the satellite go into orbit above earth instead of falling back down to the ground.
Why don t satellites in orbit fall to the ground. It is reserved for changing orbit or avoiding collision with debris. Satellites do carry their own fuel supply but unlike how a car uses gas it is not needed to maintain speed for orbit. While satellites in orbit around the earth are continuously falling toward the earth they never strike it. The moon s entire orbit is a fortunate miss.
When a satellite is in orbit there is a relationship between the orbital period p and the semi major axis distance a of its elliptical orbit. Man made satellites can fall out of space but dont fall for the same reason that the moon a big satellite doesn t crash into the earth or that the earth doesn t crash into the sun. A geosynchronous orbit sometimes abbreviated gso is an earth centered orbit with an orbital period that matches earth s rotation on its axis 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds one sidereal day the synchronization of rotation and orbital period means that for an observer on earth s surface an object in geosynchronous orbit returns to exactly the same position in the sky after a period. This orbit is a sun synchronous orbit which means that whenever and wherever the satellite crosses the equator the local solar time on the ground is always the same.
Nasa night sky network recommended for you. When the moon passes the earth in orbit towards the sun it misses because the earth s orbit toward the sun. For the terra satellite for example it s always about 10 30 in the morning when the satellite crosses the equator in brazil. This is easier than most science guys explain it.
Explain why a satellite does not fall to earth. Even when satellites are thousands of miles away earth s gravity still tugs on them. A satellite orbiting closer to the earth requires more velocity to resist the stronger gravitational pull. Let s use our oldest satellite as an example.
Why don t satellites crash into each other. The moon is constantly falling towards the earth. This is because the curvature of earth keeps them traveling around the earth even as they fall. Satellites don t fall from the sky because they are orbiting earth.
Kepler s third law describes the relationship. P 2 prop a 3 the closer a satellite orbits the planet the shorter its period must be to keep it in. Why doesn t the moon fall to earth.