The space station is going 17500 mph as it orbits the earth. How long will it take to orbit 1 time if the earths diameter is 7926 miles and the space station orbits at 240 miles above the earth.
earth radius = 7926/2
orbit radius = Ro = 7926/2 + 240
distance = 2 pi Ro = 2 pi (7926/2 +240)
time = distance/speed
= 2 pi (7926/2 +240) / 17500
To find out how long it will take for the space station to orbit the Earth once, we need to calculate the circumference of the orbit and divide it by the speed of the space station.
First, let's find the circumference of the orbit. The orbit of the space station is the sum of the Earth's diameter and the height of the orbit above the Earth's surface.
Circumference of the orbit = Earth's diameter + height of the orbit
= 7926 miles + 240 miles
= 8166 miles
Now, we divide the circumference of the orbit by the speed (velocity) of the space station.
Time taken to orbit once = Circumference of the orbit / Speed of the space station
= 8166 miles / 17500 mph
To find the time taken, divide 8166 by 17500 using a calculator or by performing the division manually. The result will give you the number of hours it will take for the space station to orbit the Earth once.