PPT Slide
Consider a spacecraft at point P
If a rocket is not fired, it will fall to the ground on path A
A short burst results in an elliptical orbit, intersecting Earth, along path B
A higher speed almost allows the spacecraft to avoid colliding with Earth (path C)
A higher speed still results in a complete elliptical orbit (path D)
A circular velocity results in a circular orbit (path E)
Higher speeds result in additional elliptical orbits (path F)
The escape velocity results in a parabolic orbit (path G)
Speeds greater than the escape velocity result in hyperbolic orbits (path H)