Why Don T Satellites In Orbit Fall To The Ground

Satellites don t fall from the sky because they are orbiting earth.
Why don t satellites in orbit fall to the ground. This orbit is a sun synchronous orbit which means that whenever and wherever the satellite crosses the equator the local solar time on the ground is always the same. The earth rotates around it s axis and also moves in a big circle orbiting the sun. Satellites do carry their own fuel supply but unlike how a car uses gas it is not needed to maintain speed for orbit. Exploring orbits and gravity duration.
For the terra satellite for example it s always about 10 30 in the morning when the satellite crosses the equator in brazil. Let s use our oldest satellite as an example. When the moon passes the earth in orbit towards the sun it misses because the earth s orbit toward the sun. Why doesn t the moon fall to earth.
Gravity combined with the satellite s momentum from its launch into space cause the satellite go into orbit above earth instead of falling back down to the ground. Man made satellites can fall out of space but dont fall for the same reason that the moon a big satellite doesn t crash into the earth or that the earth doesn t crash into the sun. When a satellite is in orbit there is a relationship between the orbital period p and the semi major axis distance a of its elliptical orbit. P 2 prop a 3 the closer a satellite orbits the planet the shorter its period must be to keep it in.
The fact that a satellite is in orbit means that it will neither fall to the ground or fly off into space. Explain why a satellite does not fall to earth. While satellites in orbit around the earth are continuously falling toward the earth they never strike it. The moon is constantly falling towards the earth.
A satellite orbiting closer to the earth requires more velocity to resist the stronger gravitational pull. Why don t satellites crash into each other. Kepler s third law describes the relationship. The moon s entire orbit is a fortunate miss.
This is because the curvature of earth keeps them traveling around the earth even as they fall. Nasa night sky network recommended for you. It is reserved for changing orbit or avoiding collision with debris.