Series
The Orbits Series
Why something stays up and what it takes to keep it there: the orbits worth using and what each is for, why a satellite needs fuel just to hold still, how a launch window is computed, and what re-entry has to survive. Part of Under the Hood.
Why Does a Satellite Stay Up?
An orbit is a speed rather than a place. A satellite is falling the whole time and missing, because it is moving sideways fast enough that the curve of its fall matches the curve of the planet. Which is why getting to space is the easy part, why geostationary demands one specific altitude over the equator, and why the fuel on board is what sets the satellite's life.
Coming soon