eli5 how are satellites placed in just the right spot so they dont fall to earth or drift into space?
In: Planetary Science
That’s not how orbits work.
Say you have a bottle rocket. If you shoot it up at an angle, it’ll fly for a bit and then fall back down some distance away.
If you add more speed and make the thrust last longer, it’ll fly a bit farther and land a bit farther away in a *parabolic* arc.
Add enough speed and thrust for long enough, you’ll eventually fly so far that you go all the way around the planet. Just a bit more and you’ll miss the ground every time, but you’ll still be flying a circular path around the planet. That’s an orbit.
Add too much speed or thrust and your circular path will grow so large that the sun’s gravity will start overpowering earth’s, and you’ll drift away on a *hyperbolic* orbit.
**Ergo**; Orbit is not just a place, it’s a condition defined by a speed. And speed is easy to control.
Disclaimer: There are obviously other facets to this, like what happens if you just go straight up, or what happens if you stop thrusting for a bit and then start again later. These will change the shape of the orbit, but the general rule remains the same.
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