Posted on 07/01/2012 9:08:55 PM PDT by POWERSBOOTHEFAN
The satellite needs to reach about 17,000 miles an hour to reach orbit and be pointed in the right direction. My Dad designed Vanguard 1, the fourth satellite in orbit and the oldest one still there. The first six seconds of the video shows me and my brother and three sisters arranged around the Vanguard 1 a week or two before its launch (I’m wearing the red coat).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msLSW1U1t1U
How do we know you don’t work for North Korea?
Basically an object in orbit around the Earth (for example) is constantly falling due to the force of gravity. However, the path of falling carries the object around the Earth rather than falling back onto the earth. If an object does not achieve orbit, it will follow a ballistic path back to the Earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit
I don’t know whether you’re stupid or not, but think of it as a teachable moment...
Are you ten? Every time a rocket has launched a description of how this works is done by NASA. Rockets burn fuel. IF you truly are a science ‘geek’ then you should know some physics-—the laws of which ( even Newtonian) take over. The fore generated by the fuel burning launches the rocket into motion. Gravity effects the direction of travel. If one has enough velocity to overcome the effects of gravity you achieve orbit. Go build some small rockets and learn while doing.
ah I knew there was a hidden trick to it. ;)
Simple, upsidasium.
I lived next door to a rocket scientist for over a year. I dont know what he did at work, but I had to help him out with basic household mechanical type things all the time.
Not impressed.
I thought satellites are kept afloat by the hot air emanating from president Oblamo?
well,I don’t.
Are you a young person? If so, as I said, consider it a teachable moment.
A “science geek” isn’t someone who asks questions like this — it’s someone who is asked questions like this. Think about it.
We’re happy to help, but no one wants to spoon feed someone else — we have better things to do with our time. It’s a big Internet out there — go do so research, read what you find, then come back with questions that web searches don’t answer, and we’ll try to help.
I’m 36 and I’m sorry I’m not as smart as you.
Thank you for not treating me like an idiot.
You don't have to take Astronomy. You can in-opportune an astronomy prof any day of the week and he'll talk until you have to fake a seizure.
There is force. It is a unit of measure.
There is mass. It is a unit of measure.
There is acceleration which is a complicated kind of unit of measure but for Newtonian cases what you see is what you get.
Force acting on a body causes it to move. It will move until another force acts on it.
Get that part and you've got most of it.
Dammit, I'm a cook not a prof.
/johnny
What you’re really asking about is a field of physics called “orbital mechanics.”
I was forced to study this for one semester. Why they made a EE study orbital mechanics... I have no idea. Never used it since. Every other course where I asked at the time “Why are we studying this nonsense?” I have used.
Orbital mechanics... going on 30 years and still haven’t used it.
But rather than my trying to coach you through it, here’s a link to a guy’s page where he lays most of the issues you have out in pretty compact form. You’ll need a little background in Newtonian physics, but not much of the heavier math usually involved (integral calc, DiffEQ’s and Lagrangians) to nut your way through this stuff:
http://www.braeunig.us/space/orbmech.htm
I’m not expecting a college lecture. I’m just interested in what scientists here have to say.
Is this a swipe at me? Because if it is it’s a pretty s****y thing to say. :(
Yeah... I made my snark remark and then came back and did my NCO thing.
Old habits. Cooks can only teach so much. Eventually, you have to study and learn to integrate differentials.
/johnny
What I should have said is that I am fascinated with science. That’s what I meant by being a “geek”. There are science classes I have not taken so I have a lot to learn,especially about physics and astronomy.
I am not stupid but school has been a struggle for me.
There’s no reason to attack me.
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