Deriving formula for surface velocity of a satellite in orbit.

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on deriving the formula for the surface velocity of a satellite in orbit. The key equation presented is Δω = (2π/T) - (1/r)√(GM/r), where Δω represents the difference in angular velocities between the planet and the satellite, T is the sidereal period of the planet, r is the radius of the orbit, and GM is the gravitational constant multiplied by the mass of the planet. The orbital speed of the satellite is defined as v = √(GM/r), which is essential for calculating surface velocity. The derivation emphasizes the importance of understanding angular velocities to compute the surface speed at the sub-satellite point.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of orbital mechanics and satellite motion
  • Familiarity with gravitational constants and planetary mass (GM)
  • Knowledge of angular velocity and its calculation
  • Basic proficiency in mathematical derivations and equations
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  • Study the derivation of Kepler's laws of planetary motion
  • Learn about gravitational forces and their impact on satellite orbits
  • Explore graphical representations of orbital mechanics
  • Investigate the effects of orbital altitude on satellite velocity
USEFUL FOR

Aerospace engineers, astrophysicists, and students studying orbital dynamics will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in calculating satellite surface velocities and understanding the mechanics of satellite orbits.

spiruel
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I may be being stupid here... But I'm trying to derive such an equation to no avail.

Maybe such a formula requires more than one variable - but I would like to easily display this graphically.
To start out the derivation I stated that the Surface Velocity = (2pi/T)-(v/r) where v/r=angular velocity of satellite in orbit and 2pi/T=angular velocity of a planet.

Can anyone help?
 
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Think I got it (in terms of time, not velocity):

2pi*sqrt((radius of planet+orbital altitude)^(3)/(GM))-rotationalperiodofplanet
 
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You can work out the angular velocities separately to begin with. You stated the one for the planet as ##2\pi/T##. Call that ##\omega_p##, and make sure that T is the sidereal period for the planet. For the satellite you again made a true statement, namely that the angular velocity is given by ##\omega_s = v/r##, with r the radius of the orbit and v the orbital speed.

Assuming a circular orbit the orbital speed will be ##v = \sqrt{GM/r}##, where M is the mass of the planet.

Assuming that the satellite's orbit is in the plane of the equator, the difference in angular velocities is then:
$$\omega_p - \omega_s = \Delta \omega = \frac{2\pi}{T} - \frac{1}{r}\sqrt{\frac{GM}{r}}$$
You can move the 1/r into the square root if you want.

With Δω in hand you can work out the surface speed of the sub-satellite point easily enough.
 

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