This introduction covers Falling Around the Earth within Orbits for GCSE Physics. Revise Orbits in Space Physics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 10 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 1 of 5 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 1 of 5
Practice
13 questions
Recall
10 flashcards
📖 Falling Around the Earth
Here's a mind-bending fact: the International Space Station is constantly FALLING towards Earth — but it keeps missing! It's moving so fast sideways (28,000 km/h) that by the time it falls, the curved Earth has dropped away beneath it. This is what an orbit really is: falling forever but never hitting the ground. Newton figured this out in the 1600s by imagining a cannon on a very high mountain...