2006-12-04 05:28:27 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Yes!
2006-12-04 05:31:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, they are above the equator at an altitude where their period of revolution is 24 hours, so they appear to hover over the same place on earth.
And no, the mass does not "cancel out." Mass has no effect on orbital speed, just as it has no effect on how fast objects fall - because orbiting satellites are actually falling around the earth; their horizontal velocity is what prevents them from hitting the ground.
This is because even though the gravitational force increases with mass, so does an object's inertia, or resistance to any change in its motion. These two distinct types of mass cancel each other out exactly (that could be what the previous poster meant but he didn't specify it, and besides it's not unique to geostationary orbits). Why they cancel exactly is unknown to physicists.
2006-12-04 13:48:38 · answer #2 · answered by hznfrst 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes! Mass cancels out of the equation so that there's a direct relationship between orbit period and altitude. Geostats are about 24,000 miles up and have an orbit period of 24 hours. The space shuttle is just barely in space at about 200 miles and goes around in 90 minutes.
You can search and get the equations, they're fairly simple.
2006-12-04 13:32:36 · answer #3 · answered by modulo_function 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋