Final answer:
The orbital radius of an Earth satellite with a period of 1.00 h is approximately 42,000 km. It is reasonable to expect this radius for a satellite with such a short period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The orbital radius of an Earth satellite with a period of 1.00 h can be calculated using Kepler's third law of planetary motion, which states that the square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of the orbit. Since the orbital period is given as 1.00 h, we can square it to get 1.00 hour^2. Let's assume the orbital radius is 'r'. Using the formula, (1.00 hour^2) = (r^3) * (4 * π^2) / (GM), where G is the gravitational constant and M is the mass of Earth, we can solve for 'r'.
After solving the equation, the orbital radius of the Earth satellite is approximately 42,000 km. Therefore, the correct answer is (a) 42,000 km.
It is reasonable to expect an orbital radius of this magnitude for a Earth satellite with a 1.00-hour period because the satellite will need to be relatively close to Earth to complete its orbit in such a short amount of time.