Aha Trivia Stuff Everyone Should Know
Aha Trivia: Stuff Everyone Should Know · ahatrivia.com/mb-space-exploration-052c213866ff

What does a satellite in orbit keep doing?

It falls around Earth continuously.

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  1. It floats without moving
  2. It climbs higher each day
  3. It falls around Earth continuously ✔

Why: A satellite stays in orbit by falling toward Earth while moving sideways fast enough to keep missing it.

Huh, didn't know that: A satellite stays in orbit by falling toward Earth while moving sideways fast enough to keep missing it.

The dad joke
Orbit is just falling with style.
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References

Answer: It falls around Earth continuously. A satellite stays in orbit by falling toward Earth while moving sideways fast enough to keep missing it.

  1. Newton's laws of motion en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion
    A very fast cannonball will fall away from the inertial straight-line trajectory at the same rate that the Earth curves away beneath it; in other words, it will be in orbit
    Checked 2026-11-07.

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