14 FAQs about Artificial Satellites (The Astronomy Cafe)

Introduction Satellites for Beginners, Mark Wades Encyclopedia Astronautica

History of Communications Satellites NASA Report by David Whalen

Satellite forecasting Calculator page

Viewing: SatPasses Page , Iridium Flare Photos , Telescope Observations of satellites

Orbital Debris NASA Newsletter on Space Hazards

Footprint Calculator for ComSats Chris Meenan

Sounds from the first satellites Oscar, Sputnick, Explorer, Vanguard

 Back to the Astronomy Cafe - 365 of the most popular questions since 1996. Over 1 million page requests!

Beginner:

  1. Can you see the Space Shuttle from the ground?
  2. What is the typical altitude for the Space Shuttle and the Space Telescope?
  3. Where can I get information about orbiting space junk?
  4. What are normal satellite altitudes?
  5. How fast do satellites travel in space?
  6. Can you see man-made satellites from the ground with the naked eye?
  7. Will satellites be affected by the year-2000 'Y2K' problem?
  8. How far apart are artificial satellites near Earth?
  9. Where are the Voyager spacecraft now and when will they reach the nearest stars?
  10. How many satellites, active and dead, orbit the Earth?

Intermediate:

  1. Why are satellites sometimes put into polar orbits?
  2. What technology developments do we need to get to Mars?
  3. How are satellites prevented from crashing into each other?
  4. Was there a delay in the reception of the Galileo data at Earth?

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