ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES

An artificial satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. They are called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites like the Moon. Examples of artificial satellites are Communications Satellites and Monitering Satellites.

A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). The term is often used to describe an artificial satellite (as opposed to natural satellites, or moons). Artificial satellites are man made objects that man has sent up into space using rockets. They then orbit the Earth. Artificial satellites should be compared with other satellites in orbit round the Earth which are not man made and therefore natural satellites - e.g. the Moon. They are also in space. Many dideases can be carried through space travel. First was sputnik,
but anything from the Direct TV and XM radio satellites and telecommunication, GPS to the International Space Station are artificial satellites in Earth Orbit. There are artificial satellites currently in orbit around other planets as well. The motion of a satellite or space-station is a direct consequence of Earths gravity. Once launched in the appropriate orbit, these man-made crafts orbit around Earth without any propulsion. In this module, we shall study basics of satellite motion without going into details of the technology. Also, we shall develop analysis framework of artificial satellite, which can as well be extended to analysis of natural satellite like our moon. For the analysis here, we shall choose a simple framework of two body system, one of which is Earth. We should be aware that gravity is not the only force of gravitation working on the satellite, particularly if satellite is far off from Earths surface. But, Earth being the closest massive body, its gravitational attraction is dominant to the extent of excluding effect of other bodies. For this reason, our analysis of satellite motion as isolated two body system is good first approximation. Mass of artificial satellite is negligible in comparison to that of Earth. The center of mass of the two body system is about same as the center of Earth. There is possibility of different orbits, which are essentially elliptical with different eccentricity. A satellite close to the surface up to 2000 km describes nearly a circular trajectory. In this module, we shall confine ourselves to the analysis of satellites having circular trajectory only.

50 Years of the Space Age October 4 w/1st Orbit of Earth

Sputnik-1 was launched by the Soviet Union fifty years ago on 4 October 1957. The orbital launch marked the beginning of humanity's quest for space. Sputnik served as and the precursor to hundreds of satellite applications around the world and throughout the solar system the past halfcentury! The brain behind the first orbital launch was the renounced Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev. A BBC docu-drama provides historical context to the event. The news from that day in 1957 set fear in the minds of The West. The Soviets continued with many space firsts until the United States landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969.