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This simulation shows what happens when a projectile is launched from above the surface of the Earth at various velocities. The projectile is launched from a height of 1000 km (so the location shown is actually to scale). Select the velocity you would like to use with the sliding scale. It starts off with a velocity of only 1.0 km/s, which basically just has it drop to the surface after travelling a bit around the Earth. The buttons can do exactly what they say - "Start" the simulation, and "Stop" the simulation. The "Show Full Orbit" box will allow the projectile to travel through the Earth, and then you can see how it would actually move in its orbit about the center of the Earth. |