Perpetual Freefall (Orbit)
The concept of perpetual free fall extenuates from the idea that an object in space has enough directional velocity to overcome the gravitational force on that object by a larger body. When an objects velocity acts in this way, the object enters into a perpetual free fall or an orbit.
The Main Idea
For many objects, one of the main forces acting on them in a normal state is gravity. For organizations such as NASA or Boeing that utilize satellites around earth, gravity must be overcome to exit the lower atmospheric atmospheres and to maintain their technologies stay in flight around the earth. Entering an object into an orbit is the only way to overcome the effects of gravity and prevent it from returning to the Earth's surface. This is achieved via perpendicular propulsion and altitude adjustment in lower atmospheres where air resistance in present, or is achieved by achieving a high enough stable velocity outside the Earth's atmosphere. By producing enough perpendicular velocity, the object travels beyond the curve of the planet before gravity pulls the object to the surface. In a sense, the object simply falls past the planet's surface.
A Mathematical Model
Calculating an objects motion is based around the Newton’s law of universal gravitation and the momentum principle with the equation [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{object} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math], where Fnet is equal to the change in the momentum of the object. The force acting on the object that has begun perpetual freefall outside the atmosphere is only gravity. The basic gravitation force equation is [math]\displaystyle{ \vec{F}_{gravity}= {mass}_{object}*{a}_{gravity} }[/math], but perpetual freefall follows Newton’s law of universal gravitation which is dependent on the mass of both objects, and their distance apart. —— For example where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings.
A Computational Model
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