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oneredballoon
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Homework Statement
An Earth satellite is observed to have a height of perigee of 100 n mi and a height of apogee of 600 n mi. Find the period of the orbit.
Homework Equations
(1) Period = (2*pi/sqrt(mu)) * A^(2/3)
(2) rp+ra = 2A
Where:
Mu is the Standard Gravitational Parameter 4X10^5 (km^3/s^2)
rp is radius of periapsis
ra is radius of apoapsis
A is the semi-major axis of an elliptic orbit.
The Attempt at a Solution
I converted nautical miles to km, and used equation (2) to obtain A=648.2 km.
(185.2km+1111.2km)=2A; A =648.2km
I then plugged my value of A into the Period equation to obtain an answer of .744.
I can't quite figure out the units for this number. It looks like it would be seconds, but that seems like a pretty unreasonable solution if it is.
I know orbital periods are usually calculated in AU, but if I calculate in AU, I don't know what to do with the constant Mu, which is in km^3/s^2.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!