03. How long does it take to get into orbit? And how long does it take for each orbit around the Earth? How long would it take to leave Earth, make one orbit and return to Earth? (A K2S Question)

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It takes eight and one-half minutes for the Space Shuttle to reach a low Earth orbit. How long an orbit takes depends on how high above the Earth the orbit is. For low Earth orbit (about 200 miles above the Earth) it takes about 90 minutes to complete a full orbit. Some orbits are further away and that means it takes them a longer time to orbit around the Earth. There is one special orbit where it takes a full day to orbit around the Earth. So a satellite in this orbit travels around the planet at the same rate that the planet is spinning! To return to Earth, it takes the Shuttle about one hour.

Answer provided by Hazel McAndrews


Image:K2S logosmall.jpg Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer


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