http://www.foxfire1.com/speed-gps/how-do-you-find-the-orbital-radius-of-a-satellite-gps-if-you-are-only-given-the-speed-at-which-it-orbits No more tickets Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:31:51 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.foxfire1.com/speed-gps/how-do-you-find-the-orbital-radius-of-a-satellite-gps-if-you-are-only-given-the-speed-at-which-it-orbits/comment-page-1#comment-1475 Alexey V Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:31:59 +0000 http://www.foxfire1.com/speed-gps/how-do-you-find-the-orbital-radius-of-a-satellite-gps-if-you-are-only-given-the-speed-at-which-it-orbits#comment-1475 To be on an orbit of radius R the satellite shoud experience centripetal acceleration V^2/R. This acceleration is provided by gravity force and equal GM/R^2. On the Earth surface this acceleration is g = 9.8 m/s^2, so GM/r^2 = g, where r=6.4*10^6 m is Earth radius. Then GM = gr^2 and acceleration on distance R is gr^2/R^2 and equal to V^2/R. Now we have an equation: gr^2/R^2 = V^2/R. Solve over R and get R = gr^2/V^2.<br><b>References : </b><br> To be on an orbit of radius R the satellite shoud experience centripetal acceleration V^2/R. This acceleration is provided by gravity force and equal GM/R^2. On the Earth surface this acceleration is g = 9.8 m/s^2, so GM/r^2 = g, where r=6.4*10^6 m is Earth radius. Then GM = gr^2 and acceleration on distance R is gr^2/R^2 and equal to V^2/R. Now we have an equation:
gr^2/R^2 = V^2/R. Solve over R and get R = gr^2/V^2.
References :

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