Understanding Orbits
The diagram below crudely
illustrates the basic fundamentals associated with achieving an orbital
state.
It is assumed that the cannon pictured is at sufficient altitude that
it will
not be interfered with mountains or friction from the Earth’s
atmosphere. The lines
protruding from the cannon show the paths undertaken by a cannon ball
fired at
different velocities. The first two velocities, while enough to show a
level of
measured orbit, are not sufficient to achieve continual free fall.
These are
known as suborbital trajectories. The next two velocities, shown by the
dashed
lines, result in circular and elliptical orbits that, assuming no
interference,
can exist for infinity.