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Calculate the time in sunlight (TS) in munutes for a satellite

in a 17591km circular orbit and 0° inclination.

User Yahermann
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Final answer:

The period of an artificial satellite can be calculated using Kepler's third law and the period and radius of the Moon's orbit as a reference.

Step-by-step explanation:

The period, or time for one orbit, of an artificial satellite is related to the radius of the orbit by Kepler's third law. In this case, the orbital radius of the satellite is the sum of the average altitude above Earth's surface (1500 km) and the radius of Earth (6380 km), which equals 7880 km. To calculate the period of the satellite, we can use the period and radius of the Moon's orbit as a reference. The Moon orbits Earth every 27.3 days and has an orbital radius of 3.84 × 10^8 m. Using the ratio of the orbital radii, we can set up a proportion and solve for T₂, the period of the artificial satellite.

User Jjoelson
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