Asri-unix.743
net.space
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ARPAVAX:C70:sri-unix!REM@MIT-MC
Tue Feb 9 22:25:36 1982
Re: sri-unix.707: Horseshoe Orbits
You're mistaken (wrong).
Under inverse-square law, such as gravity, higher orbits actually
travel slower, not faster! If energy is added to a satellite, it rises
into a higher orbit, but more knetic energy is converted into potential
energy than was applied to make it rise to the new orbit and it has
less knetic energy (but much more potential energy) than when it was lower.
Earth-based common sense, if add energy an object travels faster, doesn't
apply in orbital mechanics; add energy and the object ends up in a new
slower orbit. Here's an example if you don't believe me. The moon is
about 225,000 miles from Earth, while geosynchronous satellites are
about 25,000 miles from Earth. Thus the moon has to travel about 10
times as far to get around, but takes about 29 times as long to do it
because it is traveling only about a third as fast in linear velocity.
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