HSC Senior Science Assignment

(Secondary Data Research and Presentation)

Topic: Geostationary satellites relay and transmit information from the

other side of the world.

A satellite is a heavenly object that orbits around a planet, like the moon. An
artificial satellite is one that is made my man to orbit around a planet for
many reasons. The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched in space on
October 4, 1957 by Russia. As technology advances, more powerful satellites
have been built and sent into space for military purposes, weather forecasting,
geological surveying and communication.

Define the term geostationary satellite and identify and describe

different functions of these satellites.

The term geostationary satellite refers to satellites that are orbiting around
earth at a rate that its orbital period equals that of the earths period of
rotation. This makes the satellite seem stationary from the earths surface.
The word geostationary comes from combining geo, meaning earth and
stationary meaning at a fixed point.

Geostationary satellites are used mainly in communication. This includes

telephony (international telephone calls) and television (live). Other uses of
geostationary satellites include military purposes and capturing images for
research purposes.

Explain how geostationary satellites work:

Why must the satellite dish face the same direction and must
remain at the same location with respect to the surface of the
Earth?

A satellite transmits information and signals by electromagnetic waves. The

main type of wave used is microwaves but television and radio waves are also
used. Microwaves can only travel in straight lines and so it is necessary for a
transmitter to face the receiver when sending or receiving information. With a
geostationary satellite facing the same direction and in the same location at all
times (relative to the earths surface), it is easy for signals to be received and
sent. It is also easier for ground stations to locate the geostationary satellite
with ease since it is in the same place at all times. If the satellite was not
stationary relative to the earth and was moving constantly, it would take effort
to locate the satellite, change the direction that the ground station is facing so
it can send microwaves to the satellite and make sure the satellite was facing
the ground station to ensure direct contact.

Why must the satellite be at a height where its revolution period is

the same as the Earths period of rotation?

A geostationary satellite needs to be in a fixed position and always facing the

same direction relative to the earths surface. To do this the satellite must be at
a height where its revolution period is equal that of the Earths rotational
period.

Source: http://www.intelsat.com/

When a satellites revolution period equals the earths period of rotation, that
satellite is in a geosynchronous orbit. Geosynchronous literally means same
time as earth. To achieve this, a satellite must be at a specific altitude where
the force of gravity balances out with the momentum that the satellite gains by
travelling at high speed. Satellites that are in geosynchronous orbit and
orbiting around the equator are known as geostationary satellites. When a
satellite is in geosynchronous orbit, from earth it would appear that the
satellite traces out a figure 8. When a satellite is in geostationary orbit, from
the surface of the earth, the satellite appears to be in the same spot 24/7.
The altitude at which the geostationary satellite orbits can be worked out by
using Keplars Law of Periods.

(Radius of Satellites Orbit)3 (Radius of Earths Orbit)3

------------------------------- = -------------------------------
(Satellites Orbital Period)2 (Earths Orbital Period)2

Which works Radius of satellites orbit to be 42 168 km. Minus the radius of
the earth would give the altitude to be approximately 35 800km (earth is not
is not a perfect sphere, giving the approximate value).

Why do communication satellites have different orbits, aerials, and

cover various areas of the planet?

Communication satellites have different functions and therefore require

different orbits and aerials. At different orbits different waves can be sent
without being damaged or decrease in quality of the signal. To receive these
different waves which are at different wavelengths and frequencies, different
aerials are needed.

Source: http://www.intelsat.com

The area covered by a communication satellite is called its footprint. The

footprint of a satellite is limited and cannot cover all of earth. To cover all of
earth, a number of satellites is needed covering various areas of the earth.
Information can be sent from ground stations to satellites and vice verse or if
the receiver is out of range for a particular satellite, the information can be
relayed from one satellite to another. This ensures that communication can be
sent and received anywhere on earth. This is why it is essential for satellites to
cover various areas of the planet.
 Source: Microsoft Encarta 2000, Communication Satellites

Identify the satellites used for live telecasts from other regions of
the world to Australia and vice versa.

Satellites that have been built or owned by Australia includes

Australis-OSCAR 5
WRESAT
AUSSAT A-series (Optus A-series)
Optus B-series
WESTPAC
FedSat-1
Optus C-series.

However, some of there satellites have either been overused or was built for
only a certain period of time. Current communication satellites used by
Australia are:

OPTUS B1 (Located at Longitude: 160.0E)

OPTUS B3 (Located at Longitude: 152.0E)
OPTUS C1 (Located at Longitude: 156.0E)

These satellites send and receive signals from most Asian countries and
Australias ground stations. For Australia to send or receive signals to or from
anywhere else on the planet, the signal can be relayed through these satellites
to and from other satellites.
Identify three major sporting events involving Australian teams
overseas and their location. Predict the position of satellites used
to telecast these events live to Australia.

Geostationary satellites differ only from their longitudes as they have

approximately the same altitudes of 35 800km and the same latitude of 0 as
they orbit around the equator.

2006 FIFA World Cup Germany (AUSTRALIAN SOCCER TEAM):

Satellites that could be used include:

EUTELSAT W2 (Located at Longitude: 16.0E)

Owned by European Telecommunications Satellite Consortium/International (EUTELSAT)

HOTBIRD 2 (Located at Longitude: 13.1E)

Owned by European Telecommunications Satellite Consortium/International (EUTELSAT)

These satellites would relay the signals to the OPTUS satellites and then
transmitted to ground stations in Australia.

2006 Tennis French Open (Australian Player Lleyton Hewitt):

Satellites that would be used include:

HOTBIRD 4 (Located at Longitude: 7.4E)

Owned by European Telecommunications Satellite Consortium/International (EUTELSAT)

EUTELSAT W3A (Located at Longitude 7.1E)

Owned by European Telecommunications Satellite Consortium/International (EUTELSAT)

These satellites would relay the signals to the OPTUS satellites and then
transmitted to ground stations in Australia.

2008 Olympics Beijing, China (AUSTRALIA):

Satellites that would be used include:

APSTAR A1 (Located at Longitude 130.1E)

Owned by APT Satellite Company Ltd/Peoples Republic of China

ASIASAT 4 (Located at Longitude 122.2E)

Owned by United States of America

These satellites would relay the signals to the OPTUS satellites and then
transmitted to ground stations in Australia or OPTUS satellites can receive
signals directly from the location and relay it to Australias ground stations as
the foot print of these OPTUS satellites cover the area.
Evaluate the impact communication satellites have had on society.

Before communication satellites people had to send information via planes,

long travelling distance, telegrams and by sea. This took a long time and
sometimes the message might not get across. With the invention of satellites
came the space age. Through this technology we are able to see earth from the
outer space, see outer space and open a door to more discoveries. As time
moves on, the invention of communication satellites came about.

Communication satellites have created a communication revolution, changing

the way people communicate forever. With communication satellites internet
is more widely available, television can now be transmitted live, phone calls
can be to anyone on earth where there is a phone and we can even play poker
with some across the globe.

Communication satellites provide people with world wide communication at

ease. Gives them a chance to communicate more widely, being able to send
sounds, images and even videos, live! It allows messages to be delivered very
fast in amount of seconds unlike the old days where a message would take
days. Satellites also preserve the quality of messages, allowing users to receive
quality original messages.
With communication satellites, communication systems have become more
reliable. If one communication system like telephone, fails, another like
internet, would take over or be used instead.
With the advance of technology, communication satellites make international
voice calls, satellite television and internet more widely available and cheaper
everyday.
Today communication satellites carry about one third of voices and almost all
of the international television traffic and it seems to increase everyday.

Communication satellites no doubt have had a big impact on society. With it

communication has become easier, faster, more reliable and cheaper
everyday, making life easier for society.
 Bibliography:

Books:

M. Andriessen et al, Physics 2 HSC Course, John and Wiley Sons, Australia, 2003.
pp. 45-46

W. Aylmer et al, Senior Science 2 HSC, Heinmann, Australia, 2004.

pp. 143-145

CD-ROM:

S.J. Campanella. Communication Satellites, Encarta2000, Microsoft, U.S.A., 1999.

Websites:

Wikipedia. Geostationary Orbit, 2006,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit
Accessed: 20-05-2006

Charles Stuart University. Senior Science, 2003,

http://hsc.csu.edu.au/senior_science/core/info_systems/9_4_4/944net.html
Accessed: 20-05-2006

Galactis. Communication Satellites, 1997,

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/satellites/english/function/communic/index.html
Accessed: 25-05-2006

Marine Aquarium. Discover How a Satellite Works, 2005,

http://octopus.gma.org/surfing/satellites/inorbit.html
Accessed: 25-05-2006

Prentice Hall. Communication Satellites, 2001,

http://www.phptr.com/articles/article.asp?p=23761&rl=1
Accessed: 30-05-2006

Intelsat. Intelsat, 2006,

http://www.intelsat.com/resources/satellitebasics.apx
Accessed: 30-05-2006

ASRI. Australias History in Satellite Technology, 2005,

http://www.asri.org.au:81/ASRI/satellites/index.jsp
Accessed: 01-06-2006

Sat-ND. Geostationary Satellites, 2006,

http://www.sat-index.com/geo/
Accessed: 01-06-2006
How Stuff Works. How Satellite Works, 2006,
http://science.howstuffworks.com/satellite7.htm
Accessed: 02-06-2006

NASA. J-Track 3D, 2006,

http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/JTrack/3D/JTrack3D.html
Accessed: 02-06-2006