Low Earth Orbit
Low Earth Orbit is an orbit that extends from the Earth’s surface at sea level to an altitude of 2,000 km. What is interesting about the majority of Low Earth Orbit is that most of it lies within the Earth’s atmosphere. For this reason most spacecraft and artificial satellites have rapidly decaying orbits due to the drag created by air molecules in the thermosphere, the last layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, before the exosphere.
Low Earth Orbit is a region that includes Earth at Sea Level and up to 2000 kilometers above sea level. This region is close enough for a panoramic view of the Earth but just far enough that most space craft can stay in orbit without being pulled down to the surface by Earth’s gravitational field. However satellites at this altitude have to move at extraordinary speeds to partially escape the pull of Earth’s gravity. A satellite in low Earth orbit travels at a mean velocity of 26,000 to 27,000 km per hour or 17,000 miles per hour.
Low Earth Orbit is an orbit that extends from the Earth’s surface at sea level to an altitude of 2,000 km. What is interesting about the majority of Low Earth Orbit is that most of it lies within the Earth’s atmosphere. For this reason most spacecraft and artificial satellites have rapidly decaying orbits due to the drag created by air molecules in the thermosphere, the last layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, before the exosphere.
Low Earth Orbit is a region that includes Earth at Sea Level and up to 2000 kilometers above sea level. This region is close enough for a panoramic view of the Earth but just far enough that most space craft can stay in orbit without being pulled down to the surface by Earth’s gravitational field. However satellites at this altitude have to move at extraordinary speeds to partially escape the pull of Earth’s gravity. A satellite in low Earth orbit travels at a mean velocity of 26,000 to 27,000 km per hour or 17,000 miles per hour.