Astronauts on the ISS orbit Earth 16 times a day at a height of 400km above the surface. Given that the radius of Earth is approximately 6400km, how fast are the astronauts travelling?

v = 2𝜋R/T where R is the orbital radius, T is the time period.R = radius_of_earth + height_of_orbit = 6800km + 400km = 6800km = 6.8×106m.T = hours_in_day/number_of_orbits_in_day = 24/16 hours = 1.5 hours = 90 minutes = 5400 seconds.v = (2𝜋×6.8×106)/5400 ≈ 7900ms-1.For appreciation of how fast this is, this corresponds to around 18000mph, which is 10 times the speed of an average bullet, and over 20 times the speed of sound in air!

PV
Answered by Paaryn V. Physics tutor

2028 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A bullet is fired horizontally from a rifle 1.5m from the ground at 430m/s. How far does it travel and for how long does it travel before it hits the ground?


What is the difference between Speed, Velocity and Acceleration?


Why does a wire get hot when current flows through it?


What are Newton's Laws of Motion?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences