#orbital-mechanics

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fromWIRED
1 day ago

In Orbit You Have to Slow Down to Speed Up

If you watch sci-fi movies, you'd think that flying a spaceship is just like driving a slightly more complicated car (or a Winnebago in Spaceballs). And George Lucas gave us those galactic battles with pilots who look like they're flying fighter jets on Earth. Well, bad news: Space is really, really different. In particular, moving a vehicle in orbit around Earth is way more complicated than that. The maneuvers you might make with a plane sometimes have the opposite effect in orbit.
Science
Science
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Readers reply: Must what goes up always come down?

Objects without orbital or escape velocity return to Earth; sufficient horizontal velocity produces orbit or escape, while drag and tidal forces cause orbital decay.
Science
fromFlowingData
1 month ago

Atlas of Space

An interactive, browser-based atlas of space lets users click, pan, and zoom to explore moons, asteroids, and comets; source code is on GitHub.
#space-debris
fromHackernoon
1 year ago
Science

8 Ways to Scavenge Orbital Debris and Kessler Syndrome | HackerNoon

Space debris poses a serious threat to space missions due to the high speed and quantity of objects in orbit.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
5 months ago
OMG science

Readers Respond to the February 2025 Issue

The increasing problem of space debris requires innovative solutions, particularly for avoiding potential collisions in Earth's low orbit.
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