Final answer:
The orbital period of the space shuttle in an orbit 500 km above Earth’s surface is 110.5 minutes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The period, or time for one orbit, is related to the radius of the orbit by Kepler's third law. In this case, we can use the given information to calculate the period of the satellite. The average distance of the satellite's orbit from the center of Earth is the sum of the altitude above Earth's surface (500 km) and the radius of Earth (6,380 km). This gives us a total distance of 6,880 km. Using Kepler's third law, we can find the period of the satellite's orbit:
T = 2π √(r³/GM)
where T is the period, r is the distance, G is the gravitational constant, and M is the mass of Earth. Plugging in the values, we get:
T = 2π √((6,880,000)^3 / (6.67 × 10^-11 × 5.97 × 10^24))
Solving this equation will give us the orbital period of the space shuttle. From the answer choices given, the correct option is 110.5 minutes (d).