5 ms·
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but does this mean that the sci-fi cliche of going for a spacewalk and accidentally being knocked off your ship and drifting away
by SimonPStevens 8y ago
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding, but does this mean that the sci-fi cliche of going for a spacewalk and accidentally being knocked off your ship and drifting away forever is wrong? Actually, given a short wait you'll just stop and drift right back to the ship again?
(Yes, in orbit only, I understand that freefall is different from zero gravity scenarios)
- marcosdumay 8y agoYou'll pass through the ship's orbit again and again. If you pushed in a direction exactly perpendicular to the orbit, you'll reach the ship again. If you pushed somewhat into or against the orbit direction, you will get in front or behind the ship.
- zamalek 8y agoYou'd have to have enough oxygen for one [edit: half] orbital period, mind you. The unfortunate astronaut would likely still die.
- SimonPStevens 8y agoAh, yes, thank you. This is the part I didn't take in. You'll return to pass through the orbit, but the ship will most likely not be at the same point.
- TeMPOraL 8y agoYes, sort of, while in orbit. If your velocity relative to the spacecraft has a prograde/retrograde component, you'll desync the orbits - which means that after a single full orbit you'll not return to the spacecraft, but might find yourself many kilometers from it instead. Unless you or your ship's crew have some fuel available for maneuvers, you'll still die.