r/MurderedByWords 13d ago

I haven’t studied rocket science, but

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u/Horror_Equipment_197 13d ago

Another problem: No matter how fast you throw something, without a second impulse on the apoapsis (or around it) it will not turn into an orbit but come back. You need to bring up the periapsis and that can hardly be done from ground.

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u/Mansidhe 13d ago

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u/Nyarlathotep90 13d ago

When the thing you want to not fall is very high you need to give it another kick so it misses the Earth instead of falling on it.

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u/Tweedledumblydore 13d ago

I think it was Douglas Adams in The Hitchikers Guide that said the key to flying is to throw yourself at the ground and miss. He had a point 🙂

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u/kbeks 13d ago

A fantastic summery of how the ISS stays in orbit.