Naishal Patel

ISM 2A
9/21/15

Research Assessment #2
Sources
"Circular Motion Principles for Satellites." Circular Motion Principles
for Satellites. Physics Classroom, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson-4/CircularMotion-Principles-for-Satellites>.

Date
September 21, 2015

Analysis
Hitting closer to home, this time I focused my research on space
mechanics relating to the orbiting mechanics of satellites. Now a basics part
of Aerospace engineering, or any engineering field for that matter, is physics.
Physics is a pretty broad category. Because of this, I chose a small aspect of
physics that has heavily to do with the orbital mechanics of satellites.
I have had a lot of prior experience with the orbital mechanics of
satellites. In the prior work I have done relating to aerospace engineering,
orbital mechanics is a big chunk. This time however I wanted to see how it
relates to me and what is its broader application.
The article gives an overview of the forces that act on a satellite as it
orbits the earth. The object is experiencing centripetal force around earth
with a force vector pointing inwards. This indicates that an object orbiting
another object is always falling towards the object, except that it is falling so
fast that it misses its target. An orbit almost never follows a circular path for

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

the same reason a planet never orbits the sun in a perfectly circular orbit. A
satellite must have the perfect speed in order to have a perfectly circular
orbit, and thus it is often easier to use an elliptical orbit. In many cases,
elliptical orbits are preferred depending on what the satellite is used for. But
generally natural made satellites orbit at near perfect circles, very rarely in a
perfectly circular orbit.
This fact of nature shows that things are seldom perfect, but using
what we know, we can get as close to it as possible. The same applies to my
ISM journey. While not everything will be perfect, how close to perfect it is
will heavily depend on how much work and effort I put into it. While being a
stretch, it is still very interesting to see how an orbiting object is in constant
freefall. This sort of signifies at how even if you fall, the fact that you keep on
going as you were before will be more significant.
This information was very interesting as it is the backbone of a huge
part of aerospace engineering. It is also interesting to see how certain
objects work. It is hard to believe that orbiting objects are in constant
freefall. Yet if you account for all the factors such as speed and the curvature
of the earth, it makes sense why this occurs. It is also interesting to see how
physics topics that I have covered in high school so far have a much broader
application in the real world.

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

Circular Motion Principles for Satellites

Kepler's Three Laws

Circular Motion Principles for Satellites
Mathematics of Satellite Motion
Weightlessness in Orbit
Energy Relationships for Satellites

A satellite is any object that is orbiting the earth, sun or other massive body.
Satellites can be categorized as natural satellites or man-made
satellites. The moon, the planets and comets are examples of natural
satellites. Accompanying the orbit of natural satellites are a host of satellites
launched from earth for purposes of communication, scientific research,
weather forecasting, intelligence, etc. Whether a moon, a planet, or some
man-made satellite, every satellite's motion is governed by the same physics
principles and described by the same mathematical equations.

A Satellite is a Projectile
The fundamental principle to be understood concerning satellites is that a
satellite is a projectile. That is to say, a satellite is an object upon which the
only force is gravity. Once launched into orbit, the only

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

force governing the motion of a satellite is

the force of gravity. Newton was the first to theorize that a projectile
launched with sufficient speed would actually orbit the earth. Consider a
projectile launched horizontally from the top of the legendary Newtons
Mountain - at a location high above the influence of air drag. As the projectile
moves horizontally in a direction tangent to the earth, the force of gravity
would pull it downward. And as mentioned in Lesson 3, if the launch speed
was too small, it would eventually fall to earth. The diagram at the right
resembles that found in Newton's original writings. Paths A and B illustrate
the path of a projectile with insufficient launch speed for orbital motion. But
if launched with sufficient speed, the projectile would fall towards the earth
at the same rate that the earth curves. This would cause the projectile to
stay the same height above the earth and to orbit in a circular path (such as
path C). And at even greater launch speeds, a cannonball would once more
orbit the earth, but now in an elliptical path (as in path D). At every point
along its trajectory, a satellite is falling toward the earth. Yet because the
earth curves, it never reaches the earth.
So what launch speed does a satellite need in order to orbit the earth? The
answer emerges from a basic fact about the curvature of the earth. For every
8000 meters measured along the horizon of the earth, the earth's surface
curves downward by approximately 5 meters. So if you were to look out
horizontally along the horizon of the Earth for 8000 meters, you would

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

observe that the Earth curves downwards below this straight-line path a
distance of 5 meters. For a projectile to orbit the earth, it must travel
horizontally a distance of 8000 meters for every

5 meters of vertical fall. It

so happens that the vertical distance that a horizontally launched projectile
would fall in its first second is approximately 5 meters (0.5*g*t2). For this
reason, a projectile launched horizontally with a speed of about 8000 m/s will
be capable of orbiting the earth in a circular path. This assumes that it is
launched above the surface of the earth and encounters negligible
atmospheric drag. As the projectile travels tangentially a distance of 8000
meters in 1 second, it will drop approximately 5 meters towards the earth.
Yet, the projectile will remain the same distance above the earth due to the
fact that the earth curves at the same rate that the projectile falls. If shot
with a speed greater than 8000 m/s, it would orbit the earth in an elliptical
path.

Velocity, Acceleration and Force Vectors

The motion of an orbiting satellite can be described by the same motion
characteristics as any object in circular motion. The velocity of the satellite
would be directed tangent to the circle at every point along its path. The
acceleration of the satellite would be directed towards the center of the
circle - towards the central body that it is orbiting. And this acceleration is
caused by a net force that is directed inwards in the same direction as the
acceleration.

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

This centripetal force is supplied by gravity - the force that universally acts at
a distance between any two objects that have mass. Were it not for this
force, the satellite in motion would continue in motion at the same speed
and in the same direction. It would follow its inertial, straight-line path. Like
any projectile, gravity alone influences the satellite's trajectory such that it
always falls below its straight-line, inertial path. This is depicted in the
diagram below. Observe that the inward net force pushes (or pulls) the
satellite (denoted by blue circle) inwards relative to its straight-line path
tangent to the circle. As a result, after the first interval of time, the satellite
is positioned at position 1 rather than position 1'. In the next interval of time,
the same satellite would travel tangent to the circle in the absence of gravity
and be at position 2'; but because of the inward force the satellite has moved
to position 2 instead. In the next interval of time, the same satellite has
moved inward to position 3 instead of tangentially to position 3'. This same
reasoning can be repeated to explain how the inward force causes the
satellite to fall towards the earth without actually falling into it.

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

Elliptical Orbits of Satellites

Occasionally satellites will orbit in paths that can be described as ellipses. In
such cases, the central body is located at one of the foci of the ellipse.
Similar motion characteristics apply for satellites moving in elliptical paths.
The velocity of the satellite is directed tangent to the ellipse. The
acceleration of the satellite is directed towards the focus of the ellipse. And
in accord with Newton's second law of motion, the net force acting upon the
satellite is directed in the same direction as the acceleration - towards the
focus of the ellipse. Once more, this net force is supplied by the force of
gravitational attraction between the central body and the orbiting satellite. In
the case of elliptical paths, there is a component of force in the same
direction as (or opposite direction as) the motion of the object. As discussed
in Lesson, such a component of force can cause the satellite to either speed
up or slowdown in addition to changing directions. So unlike uniform circular
motion, the elliptical motion of satellites is not characterized by a constant
speed.

Naishal Patel
ISM 2A
9/21/15

In summary, satellites are projectiles that orbit around a central massive

body instead of falling into it. Being projectiles, they are acted upon by the
force of gravity - a universal force that acts over even large distances
between any two masses. The motion of satellites, like any projectile, is
governed by Newton's laws of motion. For this reason, the mathematics of
these satellites emerges from an application of Newton's universal law of
gravitation to the mathematics of circular motion. The mathematical
equations governing the motion of satellites will be discussed in the next
part of Lesson 4.