Explore LEO Satellite Orbits with this Activity
Explanations of Settings
- Altitude: is the distance above the Earth's surface a
satellite orbits.
- Inclination: The angle between the orbit plane and the Earth's equatorial plane,
measured counter-clockwise. A zero inclination orbit would mean the satellite is orbiting
directly over the equator, an inclination of 90 degrees is a perfectly polar orbit.
- Period: The amount of time it takes a satellite to travel all the way around a planet.
The orbital period of a satellite can be adjusted by changing the satellite's altitude.
The lower the orbit, the faster it must travel to maintain its orbit.
- Spot: The spatial area on the Earth represented by one data sample from a satellite sensor.
- Swath Width: The observed width on the Earth's surface as the satellite passes roughly
north-to-south or south-to-north.
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