Demonstrating why rockets curve to get into space
Consider this a sneak peak at something to expect in my next video. Whilst looking for visuals to use, I found this Google Earth preset of the STS-135 mission. You can view the launch trajectory from different angles.
I'm posting this recording to YouTube because it demonstrates visually why rockets seem to curve towards the horizon during launch. By definition, an orbit is a complete revolution around a celestial body. It is a constant state of falling towards the celestial body's center of mass while simultaneously moving forward just as fast. Thus, in order to get into orbit, the launch trajectory needs to curve around the Earth.
As you can see, not once does the Space Shuttle Atlantis fall into the water - the final point in the trajectory is above the atmosphere. Yet, from the ground is appears to be falling back to Earth. Looks can be deceiving.
If you want to play around with this Google Earth demo yourself, you can download it here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sh...