Orbital motion

Cards (6)

  • 2 types of satelities?
    natural (moon) and artificial (man made)
  • the force of gravity holds objects such as planets in their orbit
  • what is velocity?
    speed of an object in a given direction
  • the velocity of the orbit is always changing BUT speed is constant
  • if the speed of a satellite increases then the radius of its orbit decreases = satellites need a greater force of gravity to prevent it flying off into space
  • by moving closer to the earth, the gf on the satellite is greater and remains in a stable orbit