What is a satellite drag?
What is a satellite drag? This term refers to the resistance, or drag, on the satellite of the atmosphere it is flying through. The atmospheric density changes with height above the Earth’s surface, and with time, just as our ‘weather’ at the surface has highs and lows. We humans can’t feel this, but imagine running along a beach, first through the air, and then through the water. We can certainly feel the difference in resistance of the water in comparison to the air on our legs. The water is denser: many more molecules in a given volume. So if the atmosphere through which the spacecraft is flying becomes more dense, it slows down. This resistance is called satellite drag. SCIENTIST: Zdneka Smith, NOAA Space Environment Center SATELLITES QUESTION: What is the closest the satellite gets to the Sun in it’s orbit and how do you control and fix it without someone there to do the work? Aaryn, Grade 6, Deer Park Middle Magnet ANSWER: Well, NASA is planning a probe to get as close as 4 solar
