chapter 2: Orbits and Navigation Flashcards
The gravitational and astronomical laws were originally formulated to explain
the motion of planets in the solar system and their orbits around the sun.
…………………………were originally formulated to explain
the motion of planets in the solar system and their orbits around the sun.
The gravitational and astronomical laws
These laws (Newtonian and Keplerian) are equally applicable to
the orbits of artificial satellites placed around the earth.
…………………….the orbits of artificial satellites placed around the earth.
These laws (Newtonian and Keplerian) are equally applicable to
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
The force of attraction between two point masses m1 and m2 separated by a distance r is

where G is

is theUniversal gravitation constant(6.67259x10‐11 N m2 kg‐2).
the following is

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
The force of attraction between two point masses m1 and m2 separated by a distanceris:
Consider the simple circular orbit shown in Figure. Assuming that the Earth is a ……………………, we can treat it as ………………….
sphere, we can treat it as a point mass
The centripetal force is required to
keep the satellite in a circular orbit is rnv^2/r, here v is the orbital velocity of the satellite.
………………………………….. that balances this centripital force is ……………………..
The force of gravity (F)
Gmem/r2
Theforce of gravity (F) that balances thiscentripetal forceis Gmem/r2
,where me is
and m is
the mass of the Earth (5.97370x1024kg)
the mass of the satellite
Theforce of gravity (F) that balances thiscentripetal forceis Gmem/r2
,whereme is the mass of the Earth (5.97370x1024kg) and mis the mass of the
satellite. Equating the two forces gives:

Division bym eliminates the mass of the satellite from the equation, which
means that

the orbit of a satellite is independent of its mass
Orbital Period (T):
The time taken by a satellite to travel around its orbit once is known as the
period.
The period of an orbit simply depends on
its altitude
The period of the satellite is
the orbit circumference divided by the velocity:
T=2πr/v
orbital period =

For any given height above the Earth’s surface, a satellite will
take a fixed time
to complete an orbit, regardless of the mass of the satellite.
for …………………………………………… a satellite will take a fixed time to complete an orbit, regardless of the mass of the satellite.
For any given height above the Earth’s surface
Kepler’s laws of motion:
- law of orbits
- law of areas
- law of periods
Kepler’s laws of motion state that:
1.
Law of orbits: All planets travel in elliptical paths with the sun at one focus.
Kepler’s laws of motion state that:
2.
Law of areas: The radius vector from the sun to a planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times
- This empirical law discovered by Kepler arises from conservation of angular momentum.
- When the planet is closer to the sun,it moves faster, sweeping through a longer path in a given time.
Kepler’s laws of motion state that:
3.
Law of Periods: The ratio of the square of the period of revolution of a planet to the cube of its semimajor axis (radius of orbit) is the same for all planets revolving around the sun.
Kepler’s laws of motion
These laws are also applicable to
the artificial satellites placed in elliptical orbits (also called Keplerian orbits) around the earth at one focus.





