Rockets rarely blast straight upward and keep going in that direction. Instead, most orbital launches curve eastward, leaning into the spin of the planet to squeeze out every bit of free speed they ...

This artist’s concept shows an example of a gravitational assist maneuver, used by spacecraft to travel through the solar system. In this example, the spacecraft flies close by Mars, then by Jupiter, ...

Learn how to calculate the Earth’s orbital speed using fundamental principles of orbital mechanics and gravity. This video walks through the key equations and physical reasoning that explain how Earth ...