Orbital Mechanics
How Do Satellites Stay in Orbit Without Falling?
Thousands of satellites circle overhead right now, and gravity is pulling on every one of them. So why don’t they fall? The answer is stranger and simpler than it sounds.
How Do Rockets Actually Reach Orbit?
Getting a rocket up to space is the easy part. The real trick, and the reason rockets are almost all fuel, is going sideways fast enough to fall around the planet forever.