To obtain the “altitude”, h, namely the distance from the surface of the Earth to the satellite, we must subtract the radius of the Earth, R⊕=6.371×106 m from this distance: T...To obtain the “altitude”, h, namely the distance from the surface of the Earth to the satellite, we must subtract the radius of the Earth, R⊕=6.371×106 m from this distance: The initial mechanical energy of the satellite, EA, is given by its gravitational potential energy (it has no kinetic energy at the surface of the Earth when at the North Pole - on the equator, it would have kinetic energy due to the Earth’s rotation):
