If I was on a satellite, and I pushed an apple towards earth, would it stop falling and level out?
And if I was on a satellite and pushed an apple in the opposite direction at the same speed I was travelling
(net speed = 0), would it start falling towards earth?
In: Physics
Have you ever seen ski jumping? They go down a sloping track and hit a little ramp at the end. They reach 100 meters or so before landing not because they go high, but because the ground slopes away underneath so they fly down almost parallel to the slope.
Translate that to the slope being the curvature of the Earth and the speed and launch ramp being the rocket. Go fast enough and the Earth curves away as fast as the satellite falls towards it.
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