As a result of deceleration in the upper atmosphere, the altitude of the artificial satellite flight over the Earth
As a result of deceleration in the upper atmosphere, the altitude of the artificial satellite flight over the Earth decreased from 400 to 300 km. How has the centripetal acceleration of the satellite changed as a result?
Given:
v is the speed of a satellite rotating in a circular orbit around the Earth;
R1 = 400 kilometers = 4 * 10 ^ 5 meters – the radius of the satellite’s orbit;
R2 = 300 kilometers = 3 * 10 ^ 5 meters – the radius of the satellite’s orbit after descent.
It is required to find the change in the centripetal acceleration of the satellite da.
da = a2 / a1 = (v ^ 2 / R2) / (v ^ 2 / R1) = R1 / R2 = 4 * 10 ^ 5 / (3 * 10 ^ 5) = 4/3 = 1.33 times.
Answer: the centripetal acceleration of the satellite during the transition to a lower orbit increased by 1.33 times.