In a geostationary orbit, the satellite remains directly above a specific location on Earth at all times, which is useful for communications and navigation satellites. A satellite in geostationary orbit will complete an orbit every 24 hours. What evidence from the text supports a claim that geostationary satellites must orbit at a specific height above sea level?

Question

In a geostationary orbit, the satellite remains directly above a specific location on Earth at all times, which is useful for communications and navigation satellites. A satellite in geostationary orbit will complete an orbit every 24 hours. What evidence from the text supports a claim that geostationary satellites must orbit at a specific height above sea level?
Gravity holds the satellite in orbit.
The distance between an orbiting satellite and the object it orbits is related to the satellite's speed.
Satellites do not all orbit at the same distance from Earth.
An object in LEO must travel faster than an object in HEO.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The appropriate evidence from the text that supports the claim that geostationary satellites must orbit at a specific height above sea level is:

The distance between an orbiting satellite and the object it orbits is related to the satellite's speed.

This statement indicates that for a satellite to maintain a geostationary position—where it orbits the Earth at the same rotational speed as the Earth's rotation (24 hours)—it must be at a specific distance from the Earth. If the height were different, the orbital speed would change, which would no longer allow the satellite to remain above the same point on Earth's surface.