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In today's episode, astrophysicist and space-exploration historian Dr. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics tells Adam how orbit around the Earth is possible. Successful orbit is a combination of two factors: height and speed. The speed that an object must travel in order to stay within Earth's orbit is relative to its height. For example, objects closer to the Earth must travel faster than more distant objects to maintain a consistent position (i.e., to fall toward the Earth as the Earth itself curves away). Join Adam as he learns the science of orbits and the mathematics enabling researchers to place satellites successfully around the globe. (To stay current with space missions, satellite launches, and other orbiting objects, make sure to follow Jonathan's updates on twitter). [04:40]
