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Calculate the time of eclipse (TE) in minutes for a satellite in

a 3785km circular orbit and 0° inclination.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The calculation of time of eclipse (TE) for a satellite depends on the geometry of the satellite's orbit with respect to the Sun and Earth, which is not provided. Kepler's third law could be used to find orbital period if that were the question, but additional details are necessary for calculating eclipse duration.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asked to calculate the time of eclipse (TE) for a satellite in a circular orbit of 3785 km and 0° inclination. To solve this problem, information from Kepler's laws and the gravitational characteristics of the Earth-Moon system could be utilized. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding since the time of eclipse would depend on the geometry of the satellite's orbit with respect to the Sun and Earth, rather than just the orbital period, which can be found using Kepler's third law. Therefore, without additional geometrical information, it is not possible to accurately calculate the time of eclipse (TE). Instead, should the intent be to find the period of the orbit, Kepler's third law would be applicable with the total radius being the sum of Earth's radius plus the satellite's orbital altitude.

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