Tocky on 10/7/2011 at 15:53
The shuttle is nearly directly above me just now. Cool. I suppose even planes could be considered "in orbit" although they are using the thicker medium of air as lift and no matter what direction they choose. I think I'm going to miss the shuttle though at first it was a let down to have it instead of another moon mission. It did give us the hubble and more accurate weather forcasts through satellite deployment (I think those were some of the satellite deployments) as well as communication improvement.
I hope that now we can go back to the moon for stationing of radio telescopes and perhaps exploring the ice hole we made earlier at one pole. And not just for the crude jokes about probing the moons ice hole or spiraling down on the pole. At any rate I do salute all those crazy logical folks and the benefits accrued. Unlike Willie my heroes haven't always been cowboys and these heroes have given us much more than steaks.
demagogue on 10/7/2011 at 16:41
Quote Posted by Tocky
I suppose even planes could be considered "in orbit" although they are using the thicker medium of air as lift and no matter what direction they choose.
I think being technically in orbit means the thing is moving so fast that the downward pull of gravity is matched by the forward speed around the earth, so it "falls" over the curve of the earth, and orbit is made at the point where it just keeps "falling" all the way around.
It's hard to explain, but easy to see on the profile graph when you're doing it. If you took away the air & thrust for that plane so there's only the energy of falling and momentum, eventually the downward pull of gravity would make a curve tighter than the curve of the earth, and it'd be on a ballistic path and crash, maybe somewhere over the horizon a bit if it's going very fast. As you speed it up (if you're at the top of the parabola) the "crash site" will keep moving farther and farther away around the earth until eventually it meets back up with the plane itself, cut the engines and now you're in orbit, powered only by gravity itself. :)
I think it's the part where it's powered only by gravity & momentum and nothing else -- no engine thrust, no lift, etc -- that makes it special.
Tocky on 11/7/2011 at 02:49
In the sweet spot. Sure, I get you.
Tocky on 14/7/2011 at 05:03
I just learned the Chinese are going to the moon. I say we pay half thier costs if they will take one of these conspiracy nuts who say we have never gone there with them. Then they film him standing in front of the Apollo eleven LM being ass raped with a moonrock and holding a big sign saying I AM REALLY BEING ASS RAPED ON THE MOON YOU NUTTER RETARDS. Naturally some portions of the mission will have to be kept secret until touchdown.
