If a satellite's speed is greater than the escape velocity, what will happen?
Practice Questions
Q1
If a satellite's speed is greater than the escape velocity, what will happen?
It will enter a stable orbit
It will escape Earth's gravitational pull
It will crash into the Earth
It will remain in a circular orbit
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If a satellite's speed is greater than the escape velocity, what will happen?
Step 1: Understand what escape velocity is. Escape velocity is the minimum speed needed for an object to break free from a planet's gravitational pull.
Step 2: Know that Earth has a specific escape velocity, which is about 11.2 kilometers per second (or about 25,000 miles per hour).
Step 3: If a satellite travels faster than this speed, it means it has enough energy to overcome Earth's gravity.
Step 4: When the satellite exceeds this speed, it will not fall back to Earth but will continue moving away from it.
Step 5: As a result, the satellite will escape into space and will not return to Earth.
Escape Velocity – The minimum speed needed for an object to break free from the gravitational attraction of a celestial body without further propulsion.
Gravitational Pull – The force exerted by a celestial body that attracts objects towards its center.
Orbital Mechanics – The study of the motion of objects in space under the influence of gravitational forces.
