A satellite is placed in orbit 100 km above the surface of the earth (radius = 6370 km, mass = 5.98 x 1024 kg).
A. What is the value of the acceleration of gravity at that altitude as a percentage of the acceleration at the surface of the earth?
B. If the satellite has a mass of 1500 kg, what is the force of gravity acting on it?
C. What is the orbital period of the satellite?
D. If NASA wanted to drop its orbital altitude to 60 km, would it have to speed up or slow down? Explain your response.