Satellites Flashcards
1
Q
What are satellites?
A
Artificial objects that orbit Earth
2
Q
How are satellites held in orbit?
A
The force of gravity
3
Q
How many satellites does Earth have?
A
Earth has one natural satellite (the moon) and thousands of artificial satellites.
4
Q
What are the three types of satellites?
A
Remote sensing satellites (low Earth orbit), GPS satellites (medium Earth orbit), Geostationary orbit satellites
5
Q
What are remote sensing satellites?
A
- closest to Earth (200- 2000km)
- used to study weather, climate and oceans
- Canada’s RADARSTAT satellites keep an eye on natural and human made events
6
Q
What are GPS satellites?
A
- 2000-35 000km
- used for locating vehicles
- farmers use GPS to fine-tune fertilizing and water need on a farm
7
Q
What are geostationary satellites?
A
- 35 000km+
- appear motionless because their orbit is the same length as Earth (24 hours)
- used for broadcasting TV programs and satellite radio
8
Q
What are satellites used for?
A
- telecommunication (cell phones)
- weather prediction
- space exploration
- Google Earth
- military reasons
9
Q
What were the first satellites?
A
Sputnik 1 by Soviet Union in 1957 Allouette 1 (first Canadian) in 1962
