Relative to the earth…, the geostationary satellite... is “parked”.
“Come now, and let us reason together…” Isaiah 1:18
Have you ever wondered why east-to-west flights on or near
the equator have the same return flight-times even though the earth is allegedly
rotating from west-to-east at over 1000 mph?
If the earth is rotating, you have to conclude that the
earth’s atmosphere is rotating with the earth in order to reconcile those identical
flight times; Right?...
So if the atmosphere is rotating with the earth, I can go
straight up at the equator and as long as I remain in the earth’s atmosphere the
spot that I went up from will NOT rotate away from me because I am also
rotating from west-to-east in sync with the earth’s rotation.
What if I go all the way up, past the earth’s atmosphere
into outer space? Now will the spot that
I went up from rotate away from me? THIS
IS THE CRUX OF THE MATTER!
The answer is NO. Why?...
Because space offers no resistance; Newton’s law states: that an object
in motion will tend to stay in motion.
So here we are entering space, still over the spot we went
up from; with the same west-to-east rotation that we had while standing still
on the earth; with the same west-to-east rotation we had while ascending
through the earth’s atmosphere; and now the same rotation will stay with us as
we go out into space.
If everything I’ve said is true, how do they “hang” that
geostationary satellite up above the equator “fixed” in place when the launch
data shows an insertion speed of 7000mph when it should be “parking” the
satellite? Is the fundamental concept of Space Elevators at odds with Geostationary Satellite Launch Data?
The Geo Sat is supposedly
directly over head and standing still.
So how does that rocket (according to the data) launch west-to-east,
approach with speed to a spot that’s standing still and then accelerates more;
no reverse-thrusting at all. You would
think they would have to bring it to a stop but the data shows
acceleration. I’m confused. Is the data from Wikipedia (Hohmann transfer
orbit) wrong?
You have made many incorrect assumptions:
ReplyDelete1. "If the earth is rotating, you have to conclude that the earth’s atmosphere is rotating with the earth in order to reconcile those identical flight times; Right?... "
To a first approximation, right. Except you have failed to account for the jet stream.
East to West, the jet stream works against you, west to east flights, it's a tailwind.
So the flight times aren't equal.
2. "So if the atmosphere is rotating with the earth, I can go straight up at the equator and as long as I remain in the earth’s atmosphere the spot that I went up from will NOT rotate away from me because I am also rotating from west-to-east in sync with the earth’s rotation. "
The atmosphere acts like a liquid, not like a solid mass. Its aggregate motion closely matches the earth's near the surface, but as you go further away from the surface, the effect (and the atmospheric density) is reduced. You will not, over the long term, remain over the same spot if you go straight up (but you will have a component of your velocity matching the velocity of the earth's surface at the time of take-off)
3. " What if I go all the way up, past the earth’s atmosphere into outer space? Now will the spot that I went up from rotate away from me? THIS IS THE CRUX OF THE MATTER! The answer is NO"
Sorry, the answer is YES. For two reasons: first, your rotational velocity hasn't kep up with the earth's -- the atmosphere has thinned, so its effect, by the time you reach space, is negligable. And this happens as you need *increasing* rotational velocity.
Second, to remain over the same place on earth, you need *rotational* velocity -- your velocity vector needs to remain tangent to a circle passing over the spot you launched from. Orbiting satellites achieve this by balancing their velocity with the force of gravity, so their velocity vector is constantly changing.
4. "If everything I’ve said is true..."
It's not.
5. "...how do they “hang” that geostationary satellite up above the equator “fixed” in place when the launch data shows an insertion speed of 7000mph when it should be “parking” the satellite? Is the fundamental concept of Space Elevators at odds with Geostationary Satellite Launch Data?"
Orbital mechanics -- it's been studied for years, and it works, because those satellites are up there. Space elevators are good in concept, but remember - not a single space elevator has been built.
6. "I’m confused. Is the data from Wikipedia (Hohmann transfer orbit) wrong?"
No. you are.