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Re: [Phys-l] ISS orbit



Right. The ISS is in a very low earth orbit. Weather satellites, GPS satellites, and the like are all in much higher orbit. The ISS and Hubble are in orbits which can be reached by the very limited range of the space shuttle.

There's no magic altitude where the atmosphere simply stops. The pressure drop is exponential. But the very tiny bit of atmosphere left at 350 km (200 miles) does create drag.

Paul

On Nov 15, 2011, at 5:10 AM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:

I'm teaching about circular motion and gravitation and mentioned in class
about the space shuttle and International Space Station. After searching
online, I found that the ISS orbits at an altitude of about 350 km. I was
surprised to learn that it loses about 100 m each day due to atmospheric
friction, and it has to be boosted to higher orbit several times each
year. I always thought that the atmosphere extended up to about 70 miles,
so how does the ISS orbit decay? And is this true for all orbiting
satellites? Does it have to do with the Sun heating/expanding the upper
layers of the atmosphere? I remember a satellite entered our atmosphere a
few weeks ago, and the famous Skylab satellite burning up decades ago.

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