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Orbit Around the Earth
Orbit
An orbit is a fixed path in space that the spacecraft follows. Depending on the mission, the size, shape, and orientation of an
orbit will vary.
Satellite
A satellite is any object in orbital motion (Sun, Moon, Earth, spacecraft, and shuttle).
- The laws that determine the orbital motion of a satellite are the same, no matter what
larger body the satellite orbits.
- The Earth's gravity determines the size and shape of the orbit of a nearby spacecraft.
- The law of gravity requires that the spacecraft must orbit in a plane that passes through
the center of the Earth.
- All Earth-orbiting satellites must orbit in space to avoid collisions with billions of air
molecules from the atmosphere that surround the surface of the Earth.
- Space begins somewhere above 100 miles where the extreme thinness of the air has
little effect on the spacecraft.
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