Question

The international space station is in a 250-mile-high orbit. What are the station’s orbital period, in minutes, and speed? (The mass of Earth is 5.98x10^24 kg and a radius of 6.37x10^6 m)

A) Orbital period: 90 minutes, Speed: 27000 m/s
B) Orbital period: 45 minutes, Speed: 13500 m/s
C) Orbital period: 180 minutes, Speed: 36000 m/s
D) Orbital period: 60 minutes, Speed: 18000 m/s

Answer 1

The orbital period of the International Space Station is 45 minutes, and its speed is 13500 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the orbital period and speed of the International Space Station (ISS), we can use the equations for orbital motion. The orbital period, T, is given by the equation T = 2πr/v, where r is the radius of the orbit and v is the orbital speed. The speed, v, can be calculated using the equation v = √(GM/R), where G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Earth, and R is the radius of the Earth. For the ISS, the radius of the orbit is 250 miles (or 402.34 km).

Plugging in the values for the mass of the Earth (5.98x10^24 kg) and the radius of the Earth (6.37x10^6 m), we can calculate the speed and period. The correct answer is B) Orbital period: 45 minutes, Speed: 13500 m/s.