The only way to slow down an orbiting satellite would be to put it into a higher orbit. If you push a satellite backwards (over a certain period of time), it would lose energy, move into a lower orbit, and actually move faster. Of course, if it gets into too low an orbit, it will eventually crash to the Earth's surface.
Comments: Actually, many satellites do slow down. That's mainly because of the
(very thin) atmosphere many satellites move through, even in orbits a few hundred kilometers above Earth.
For example the International Space Station has to regularly use fuel to maintain its correct orbit.
Although the mathematics is a bit complicated, a slowing satellite would eventually burn up, probably with bits hitting the ground.
They will Fall back to the ground..
Here's why..
Imagine a car driving around in a perfect circle. This is a centripetal acceleration described by
a = v^2 / r
where v is the velocity of the car and r is the distance of its revolution. This equation of acceleration also applies to the motion of the satellite as it moves around the planet. (Here we are not considering the planet's rotational motion.) Now if we want to consider centripetal force, we multiply the centripetal acceleration by the mass of the satellite; this gives:
F = m a
Next consider that the weight of the artificial satellite is given by the equation:
W = m g
Now g is the acceleration due to gravity. In the physics classroom its value is usually given at sea level, but in reality g is a variable: closer to the center of mass it is strong, farther away it is weak.
For the artificial satellite to orbit the planet without falling in, F and W must be equal. So then:
F = W
m a = m g
a = g
v^2 / r = g
Now if the satellite slows down, v decreases in value so that:
v^2 / r < g
This means that the acceleration due to gravity is greater than the centripetal acceleration. Gravity wins the fight and pulls the satellite to the planet's surface.
That formula would work fine when talking about orbital decay or as you pointed out above "if the satellite slows down"
If the mass of a small Earth-orbiting satellite is doubled, the radius of
its orbit can remain constant if the speed of the satellite does not change.
If you apply Newton's second law and the law of
gravity to the satellite to obtain an expression for its speed as a function of the
radius of its orbit, then the speed of the satellite is independent of its mass.
When a satellite slows down, it drops into a lower orbit. If it gets low enough to graze the Earth's atmosphere, which extends out about 100 miles, then friction will slow the satellite down even more and cause heating. This will likely destroy the satellite, causing it to break up and burn up in the atmosphere.
Very large satellites have been known to crash to Earth, especially heavy metal parts that don't disintegrate from the heat of re-entry.
It would fall vertically towards the Earth. Think of a satellite as a ball on the end of a string. Holding the end of the string, your hand is the earth and the ball is the satellite. If you swing it round in a circle, the ball stays up when it goes up if you go fast enough. If you slow down, or stop, the ball will fall down towards the actual earth because that is where gravity is pulling. In our model, it would fall to your hand (the earth).
Earth's gravity would pull it closer, since less orbital velocity means less centrifugal force counteracting gravity. The moon's orbit would stabilize at a closer distance.
Since the force of gravity varies with the square of the distance, a small increase in closeness would mean a large increase in the effect of the moon on the tides, and Earth's Coastlines (and the major cities located along them) would be inundated by greatly magnified tidal forces. Bye-bye New York!
It would fly off in a straight line immediately.
The speed of a satellite's orbit is very important so it stays in continuous freefall. If it goes too slow, it will fall to Earth. If it goes too fast, it can shoot out into space.
If the earth stopped rotating there would be no effect on the motion of satellites.
It would rise to a higher orbit, and slow down.
If the Earth orbited the Sun more slowly, it would fall into a closer orbit and speed up.
It would move further out of the current orbit. Possibly into an unstable orbit & be flung from earth altogether (however, the people who design satellites are fairly smart and won't allow that to happen)
If the Moon is to a satellite, then Earth is to a planet. The Moon is a natural satellite orbiting Earth, just like artificial satellites orbit Earth. Similarly, planets are natural satellites orbiting stars, like Earth orbits the Sun.
Yes. The earth has many man-made satellites orbiting the earth, but there's also one natural satellite. This satellite is the moon, orbiting earth at about 2288 miles per hour (3683 kilometers per hour)
Satellite is an artificial body orbiting the earth.
sputnik
The largest satellite orbiting the Earth is the Moon.
The only natural satellite orbiting Earth is the moon.
It would move further out of the current orbit. Possibly into an unstable orbit & be flung from earth altogether (however, the people who design satellites are fairly smart and won't allow that to happen)
Photos taken of Earth from an orbiting satellite
That will happen if the satellite loses energy. This is usually caused by air resistance, if the satellite's orbit is too low.
I saw a satellite orbiting around earth.
It is the moon.
It is the moon.
By orbiting the earth about once a month.
That could happen. I'm unaware that it ever has happened, but it's certainly possible.
Yes. The earth has many man-made satellites orbiting the earth, but there's also one natural satellite. This satellite is the moon, orbiting earth at about 2288 miles per hour (3683 kilometers per hour)
A satellite is not always a robotic module constructed on Earth and launched into orbit. A satellite, in fact, is any object which is orbiting another. The orbiting object is the satellite of whatever it orbits. By now you ought to be able to guess it, but if not, it is the moon.