The space shuttle had a top orbital speed of 8000 m/s and orbited in a circular orbit approximately 320 km above the earth's surface. How long was one orbit in seconds?

Details and assumptions
The radius of the earth is 6370 km.

1 answer

orbital radius = 6370+320=6690km
orbital circumference is thus 2pi*6690 = 42034km

divide that (in meters) by 800 m/s to get the period in seconds.