The orbit of a certain a satellite has a semimajor axis of 1.5 * 10⁷ m and an eccentricity of 0.20. Its perigee (minimum distance) and apogee (maximum distance) are respectively:

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The semimajor axis is the average distance between the satellite and the center of the Earth. The eccentricity is a measure of how elliptical the orbit is, with 0 being a perfect circle and 1 being a parabola. The perigee is the closest point in the orbit to the center of the Earth, and the apogee is the farthest point.The perigee is given by:$$r_p = a(1 - e)$$where a is the semimajor axis and e is the eccentricity.The apogee is given by:$$r_a = a(1 + e)$$Plugging in the given values, we get:$$r_p = 1.5 	imes 10^7 m (1 - 0.20) = 1.2 	imes 10^7 m$$$$r_a = 1.5 	imes 10^7 m (1 + 0.20) = 1.8 	imes 10^7 m$$Therefore, the perigee is 1.2 x 10^7 m and the apogee is 1.8 x 10^7 m.

The Orbit of a Certain a Satellite Has a Semimajor