Orbit Demonstration
Click to start
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Have a look at the picture here. Imagine that you are holding the satellite up
above the Earth. What do you think will happen if you "let go"? Press the
Start button to see.
That is right, gravity makes the satellite fall straight down to the surface. |
Click to start
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This time, you are going to give the satellite a push in the direction
of the red arrow. Try it and see what happens. (Press Start)
Although the satellite still crashes into the Earth, it has moved around the surface a bit, rather than falling straight down. If you pushed it harder when you let go, it would get even further around before it crashed. |
Click to start
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Let us try giving the satellite a really big push (shown by the big
red arrow). Can you guess what is going to happen here? (Press Start)
Although the satellite is still falling because of gravity, the big push that you gave it means that it cannot get any closer to the surface. In fact, it will keep going on for ever! In other words, it is in orbit. |
[If it does not work, try this simpler version]
