Physics - When the first artificial satellite was launched into orbit by the former Soviet Union in 1957, U.S.

When the first artificial satellite was launched into orbit by the former Soviet Union in 1957, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower asked his scientific advisors to calculate the mass of the satellite. Would they have been able to make this calculation? Explain.

Answer:

No. Because the speed and period of the orbit don’t depend at all on the mass of the satellite, the scientific advisors would not have been able to calculate the mass of the satellite.