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#1 2010-06-18 02:02:24

scarch
Member
Registered: 2010-06-16
Posts: 3

Satellites- Physics 20

I have been having trouble with this question from one of my assignments. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If a satellite orbits the Earth with a period of 120 minutes, determine its altitude above the Earth's surface.

I know the answer is 1.69E3 km but I am not sure how to get there.

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#2 2010-06-18 13:02:37

sarigama
Member
Registered: 2010-02-06
Posts: 9

Re: Satellites- Physics 20

Period of the satellite is given by the expression
T^2 = 4*π^2*r^3/GM, where r = R+h and h is the altitude of the satellite.
Here GM = g*R^2, where R is the radius of the earth
Substitute the values and find the value of h.

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