Satellite Orbits
Orbits exist as an
extrement function of gravity, the
universal phenomenon in which objects that exhibit mass attract one
another. If
an object of relatively small mass is acted on gravitationally by a
much larger
central body, that object will be attracted to-or fall- towards that
central
body. However, if the smaller object experiences a tangential velocity
of
sufficient magnitude it can move quickly enough that the central body
curves
away beneath it. What results is the object being pulled into a curved
path. If
the velocity is sufficient to continually miss the central body, the
object
experiences a continual state of free fall. This results in a continual
orbit
that, like the satellite illustrated above, can be used to station
artificial
installations in near perpetual rotation around our planet.
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