An answer that could be in a 6th grade book.
2007-05-21 10:55:37 · 8 answers · asked by barry d 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The 'orbital velocity' is the speed needed to stay in orbit around Earth.
'Escape velocity' is the speed needed to totally escape Earth's gravitational pull i.e., you'd never, ever, fall back to Earth.
Today, we speak of escape speed, rather than velocity, because the direction does not matter (as long as you don't bump into anything, including the ground).
As you'd move away, Earth's gravity would try to slow you down. However, as you move away, the pull of gravity gets weaker and weaker. At escape speed, gravity would never be able to bring your speed to zero. You'd move away from Earth forever.
At orbital velocity, you no longer move away from Earth (on average), you stay up at the same distance. I know, real orbits are ellipses so that you move up and down. But you keep the same average distance.
Escape speed from Earth's surface is 11.2 km/s (7 mi/s = 25,200 mph). If you start from higher, then escape speed is less (because gravity gets weaker as you move away).
As a general rule of approximation, if you know the orbital speed for a circular orbit at a given altitude, then the escape speed is 41.4% higher.
escape = orbital * SQRT(2)
(SQRT = square root)
SQRT(2) = 1.4142...
2007-05-21 11:21:42 · answer #1 · answered by Raymond 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What Is Orbital Velocity
2016-11-01 21:22:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Escape velocity is the velocity which, if given to a spacecraft initially, will enable it to just coast away from the earth without falling back. It's value is about 7 miles per second. Orbital velocity is the minimum velocity needed to sustain a satellite in orbit without falling back to earth. Its value is about 5 miles per second in a low (100 miles up) orbit. Higher orbits can be sustained at lower orbital velocities.
2007-05-21 11:04:10 · answer #3 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Orbital velocity is that velocity which keeps the object (planet or a satellite) in a stable orbit around another star or planet. Escape velocity is that velocity which is needed to escape from the gravitational pull of that star or planet. Escape velocity is higher than the orbital velocity and orbital velocity decreases as the distance from the star or planet increases.
2007-05-21 11:01:29 · answer #4 · answered by Swamy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Escape Velocity refers to the amount needed to lift off and escape the pull of gravity.
Orbital velocity would be the speed required to stay in orbit and not going into a decaying orbit.
That is my theory.
2007-05-21 11:02:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
U can figure it out ,orbital time for a low satellite is 90 min. about 150 miles up. Escape velocity is 25,000 mph.
2007-05-21 11:06:28 · answer #6 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the further you are away from the earth the lower the gravity
so to escape you need 100% TO ORBIT just 1% if you are high enough
2007-05-21 11:00:03 · answer #7 · answered by q6656303 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
nil
2007-05-21 11:04:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋