Orbiting a planet is basically free fall with translational velocity. If the earth were flat we would fall down and horizontally and eventually hit the ground.

Orbiting a planet is basically free fall with translational velocity. If the earth were flat we would fall down and horizontally and eventually hit the ground. However the earth is a sphere and the direction of the free-fall constantly adjusts itself to point towards the center of the sphere creating an orbit. It is literally throwing oneself at the ground and missing.