Gravity & Satellites: Moon's Influence on Earth Satellites

AI Thread Summary
The discussion examines the influence of the Moon's gravitational field on Earth satellites, particularly those in geostationary orbit. Calculations show that the gravitational force exerted by the Moon on a satellite is significantly weaker than that of the Earth, with the Moon's force being only a small percentage of Earth's. Despite this, the Moon's ability to influence tides suggests it could have some effect on satellites, albeit minimal. The distance between the Moon and Earth, along with their respective masses, plays a crucial role in these calculations. Overall, while the Moon does exert a gravitational force on satellites, it is considerably less impactful than that of Earth.
thomasxc
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does the moon's gravitational field have any considerable affect on satellites orbiting earth??
 
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distance between moon and Earth (center to center) = 384,403km
mass of moon = 7.3477 × 10e22 kg
mass of Earth = 5.9736 × 10e24 kg
geostationary orbit = 35,888.71 km

u can calculate the gravitational field strengths (by Earth or moon) at the geostationary orbit and compares the values.
 
you know, you have to add Earth's radius to the geostationary orbit, i think. i got 66574088 Newtons for the force between the moon and satellite-assuming that the satellite weighs 10,000 kilos. and i got 1.68e26 for the force between Earth and the satellite. but i think my math may be slightly off. but if its right, the moons force is only a very slight percentage of the earth's. even so, id think that if the moon can influence the tides, then it can influence a satellite which is a lot closer to it...
 

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