Satellites: orbital speed and period
Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.
NASA says the ISS goes around Earth about 16 times a day. How many minutes does one orbit take, Ari?
A model satellite goes around Earth 15 times a day. How many minutes does one orbit take, Bo?
Read this first
Orbit diagram (NASA values)
The ISS circles Earth 370–460 km above the surface. A velocity arrow points along the orbit; a gravity arrow points from the ISS to Earth's center.
In the diagram, which way does gravity pull the ISS, Jun?
- Along its orbit
- Toward Earth's center
- Away from Earth
In the diagram, what would the ISS do if gravity suddenly stopped, Kira?
- Go straight along its velocity
- Fall straight down
- Keep circling Earth in the same orbit
In the diagram, why doesn't the ISS fall to the ground, Luz?
- It sits on top of the air
- Gravity doesn't reach it
- Its sideways speed carries it around as it falls
NASA gives the Moon's orbital speed as 1.022 km/s. The ISS moves at about 7.7 km/s. About how many times as fast is the ISS, Noah?
- About the same speed
- About 7.5 times
- About 75 times
One model satellite orbits 500 km up and another 2000 km up. Which takes longer to go around once, Pia?
- The one at 500 km, since lower orbits are slower
- The one at 2000 km
- They take the same time
What keeps the ISS circling Earth instead of flying off into space, Ren?
- It is above the reach of gravity
- Its engines pushing it up
- Earth's gravity
A tool let go of inside the ISS floats beside the wall. Why, Tala?
- Both fall around Earth together
- Air inside holds it up
- There is no gravity at the ISS's height
If a model satellite's sideways speed dropped to zero, what would happen, Zee?
- It would fall straight toward Earth
- It would drift away into space
- It would stay in place