For example, lets say NASA wants to send a satelite aroud a moon,
if they want this spacecraft to be in a certain orbit, they need to know at what speed it needs to be moving; how are they going to calculate that speed?
by using Newton’s equations or by using some special relativity equations?
In: 26
By knowing the mass of the moon, or any celestial body, and the distance a satellite needs to be placed on from the center of the force exerted by the body, gravity. It is quite easy to calculate the required speed to maintain an orbit.
Basically, you need a speed perpendicular to the pull that cancels out the gravity force. This varies with distance. Closer to the center of mass, a lower orbit, means more speed is needed as the gravity pull will be higher.
There is no need to involve relativity in the calculations for a basic orbit around a body. However, satellites need to keep adjusting their orbit due to minimal variations over time that can add up.
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