183_projects:problem2_fall2021b

The Carver Media Group is planning the launch of a new communications satellite. Elliot Carver (head of Carver Media Group) is concerned about the launch. This is a $200,000,000 endeavor. In particular, he is worried about the orbital speed necessary to maintain the satellite's geostationary orbit (and if that depends on the launch mass). You were hired as an engineer on the launch team and tried to point out the orbital speed for a satellite at geostationary orbit is already a known quantity. Carver wants hard mathematical evidence that the distance and orbital speed are what the internet says they are. Provide evidence in order to allay his concerns.

  • Forces cause changes in momentum
  • Uniform circular motion
  • Newtonian gravitational force

Project 3: Part B: Geostationary orbit

Carver is impressed with your work, but remains unconvinced by your predictions. He has asked you to write a simulation that models the orbit of the satellite. To truly convince Carver, the simulation should include representations of the net force acting on the spacecraft, which has a mass of $15\times10^3$ kg. Your simulation should be generalized enough to model other types of orbits including elliptical ones.

https://www.glowscript.org/#/user/paul.w.irving/folder/Public/program/GeoOrbit

  • 183_projects/problem2_fall2021b.txt
  • Last modified: 2022/01/27 15:14
  • by pwirving