Orbital Mechanics

space · physics · gravity · rockets

Satellites stay in orbit. Satellites don't fall out of the sky because they're moving forward so fast while gravity pulls them down at exactly the right speed, creating a perfect balance that keeps them circling Earth over and over.

Newton's laws rule space. Isaac Newton figured out the math that explains how gravity works and how things move, and these same rules work perfectly for spacecraft billions of miles away from Earth.

Gravity is the boss. Every object in space pulls on every other object with gravity, and orbital mechanics is all about understanding and using this invisible force to send spacecraft exactly where we want them to go.

Predicting paths precisely. By using orbital mechanics, scientists can calculate exactly where a satellite will be in 10 years or steer a spacecraft to land on a distant moon with incredible accuracy.

The dance of objects. Planets, moons, and spacecraft all move in specific paths around each other like a giant cosmic dance, and orbital mechanics helps us understand and control these movements.