Astronomy & Celestial Mechanics
the sky, computed
Series

Escape — the series

One essay so far on this idea, and more questions about it than one essay answers.
  1. Circular and escape speed. Orbital and escape speed against distance, in units of the circular speed at the surface. The escape curve is the circular one multiplied by the square root of two, at every distance without exception.

    The speed that does not come back, and the √2 that separates it

    Escape speed is exactly the square root of two times circular speed, at every distance from every body. Being in orbit is already 71% of the way to leaving.

    part 1 · spaceflight

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