Orbit

From Kerbal Space Program Wiki
Revision as of 17:20, 31 October 2012 by Elembis (talk | contribs) (Minor improvements.)
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is a stub. You can help KSP Wiki by expanding it.

physics

A spacecraft in orbit around Moho.

An orbit is an elliptical path around a celestial body. The point on an orbit which is closest to the orbited body is called the periapsis; the furthest point is the apoapsis.

An orbit is considered "stable" if all points in the orbit are above the terrain and atmosphere of the orbited body. A spacecraft in such an orbit will not lose velocity due to atmospheric drag or collisions with terrain.

To achieve orbit, a spacecraft must reach a sufficient altitude and orbital velocity. During ascent, a gravity turn helps to achieve both of these goals in a fuel-efficient way.

External links