About
I always enjoyed playing with the
Physics 2000 Satellites applet.
But now it is hard to use since many people don't have Java installed and the applet is broken with modern versions of Java. So I recreated it from scratch using
<canvas>
and JavaScript.
Instructions
Click to place a satellite. Click and drag to give it a push.
Things to explore
- Can you get a satellite into orbit around the Earth?
- Is it easier to get something in orbit close to the Earth or farther away?
- Is there a difference in difficulty in getting sallellites orbiting clockwise vs. counter-clockwise?
- Can you get a satellite into orbit around the Moon?
- What happens to satellites orbiting around Earth at approximately the same distance as the Moon?
- Can you start a satellite outside of the Moon's orbit and have it settle into an orbit inside the Moon's orbit? Why or why not?
