A climate-monitoring satellite is in a stable circular orbit around Venus.
Explain why the velocity of the satellite changes as it orbits Venus, even though it travels at a constant speed.
The table below shows how the circumference of the satellite's circular orbit depends on its altitude above Venus' surface:
| Altitude above Venus' surface (km\text{km}km) | Orbit circumference (km\text{km}km) |
|---|---|
| 200 | 39270 |
| 400 | 40530 |
| 600 | 41780 |
| 800 | 43040 |
| 1000 | 44300 |
The satellite orbits at an altitude of 600 km above the Venusian surface at a constant speed of 7.18 km/s.
Calculate how many complete orbits of Venus the satellite will make in 35 hours35\text{ hours}35 hours.
19 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 8.1 Solar system; stability of orbital motions; satellites, covering 8.1.1 Our solar system, 8.1.2 The life cycle of a star, and 8.1.3 Orbital motion, natural and artificial satellites. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.