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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