Bill, You can easily calculate this for yourself: These GEO sats have an orbit with a radius of 6371 + 35789 km = 42160 km (Earth radius + orbital height)or 3960 + 22243 miles = 26203 miles So the orbital circumference = 2 * pi * Radius: 2 * pi * 42160 km = 264899 km or 2 * pi * 26203 miles = 164638 miles The satellite travels this distance in 24 hours (in fact in about 4 minutes less). So its speed is: 264899 / 24 km/h = 11037 km/h or 164638 / 24 miles/h = 6860 miles/h If you like the speed per seconde, divide those amounts by 3600 (seconds in one hour). You get: 11037 / 3600 km/s = 3.066 km/s or 6860 / 3600 miles/s = 1.906 miles/s I hope I did not make a mistake. Bram Dorreman, leader Belgian Working Group Satellites. COSPAR 4160 (Achel 1): 51° 16' 45.5" N (51.2793 N), 5° 28' 36.6" E (5.4768 E) -----Original Message----- From: Bill Mitchell <escape@velocity.net> To: SeeSat <SeeSat-L@satobs.org> Date: donderdag 11 oktober 2001 20:54 Subject: Newbie GEO question >Greetings, > >I'm new to the list and have a question regarding GEO sat's. >At what speeds do they travel? >I realize that relative to the earth at 22,000 miles they travel 0, but >let's say bring their orbit down to LEO, how fast would they be traveling? >17,500? >I was able to observe one in my homemade 10" telescope, very cool. Stars >move, Satellite doesn't. > >Thanks in advance, >Bill >www.velocity.net/~escape > > >----------------------------------------------------------------- >Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' >in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org >http://www.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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