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  4. Spacecraft leaving earths orbit
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Spacecraft leaving earths orbit

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paul.fr

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Spacecraft leaving earths orbit
« on: 09/03/2007 01:28:23 »
We all know the earth is spinning. So, when NASA, etc. send rockets or spacecraft in to space do the get pulled to one side one leaving the earth?
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Offline daveshorts

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Spacecraft leaving earths orbit
« Reply #1 on: 09/03/2007 10:09:05 »
I am not quite sure what you mean, but NASA and co certainly take advantage of the free 1000mph or so you get by launching rockets at the equator in the direction of the earth's spin can save you a lot of energy. eg a launcher capable of putting 7000lb into a low orbit with the spin of the earth could only put 5800lb into a polar orbit, where the spin isn't helping you.
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Offline FreeThinker

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  • Spacecraft leaving earths orbit
    « Reply #2 on: 13/03/2007 16:17:25 »
    If a perfect sphere is rotating, that rotation will have no effect on the gravitational pull of the sphere.

    If another shape (like a dumbell) was rotating, that rotation would effect the (mass/distance) ratio and therefore WOULD have an effect on the gravitational pull from that object.

    The earth is more like a perfect sphere, so no, the spin of the earth has very little (if any) effect on the earth's gravitational pull.
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