Explained in plain English

How do orbits work?

Orbits are like a continuous fall around a planet, rather than into it. Swift, for example, is constantly falling towards Earth, but it's also moving sideways so fast that it keeps missing the planet. This delicate balance of speed and gravity keeps satellites like Swift in their paths, high above us.

Stories that explain this

Robot launched to save falling NASA space telescope

Questions this opens up

What is gravity? How fast do satellites go? Why don't satellites crash?

This explainer came from a news story

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