Lesson 1: What Is an Orbit?
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8 Terms
What is an orbit in simple terms?
An orbit is when something is falling toward Earth but moving sideways fast enough that it keeps missing the ground.
What happens when you drop a ball straight down?
Gravity pulls it straight down—it falls straight to the ground.
What happens if you throw a ball sideways?
It still falls, but it travels forward a bit before hitting the ground.
What happens if you throw a ball sideways very, very fast?
As it falls, the Earth's surface curves away underneath it just as quickly, so it keeps falling but never hits the ground—it's in orbit.
What are the four outcomes based on orbital speed?
Really fast → escapes Earth's gravity completely (escape velocity)
How fast is orbit speed approximately?
About 17,000 mph.
How does orbit speed compare to a baseball pitch?
The fastest baseball pitch ever thrown was 100 mph. Orbit speed is way beyond anything a human could throw.
Why do astronauts appear weightless?
They're not really "weightless"—gravity is still pulling on them almost as strongly as on us. They look weightless because they're constantly falling, and everything around them is falling at the same rate.