In: Physics
Consider the velocity the satellite ( 125 kg) has while sitting on and at rest with respect to the surface of the earth. Assume a latitude of 28.5 degrees N.
Calculate the velocity the satellite has while on the earth's surface due to the rotation of the earth and how much additional velocity must be given to the satellite to reach orbit?
this problem doesn't provide any more information, he didn't provide the radius of an orbit, that's why I'm not sure how to solve it or how to go about it.
As the radius of the orbit is not given, I think you are asked to consider the effective escape velocity (which is a function of effective gravitational acceleration at that point). Now someone may argue that, if the escape velocity is given, then the satellite will continue to go away from the earth's gravitational field, it will never rotate in an orbit. But I think, after going to a certain distance (where we want to put our satellite), there would be some mechanism preprogrammed in the satellite, which will give some impulse and stable the satellite in that orbit.
otherwise, I don't see any way out.
Here, 'm' is the mass of the satellite, 'g' is the gravitational acceleration only due to earth's attraction i.e. at the poles where there is no rotational effect of the earth, 'R' is the radius of the earth and 'vesc' is used to denote the effective escape velocity.