It's a matter of understanding orbital insertion -- why you can't just throw a baseball into orbit (with a slingshot thingy) -- you need a second push.
In this specific case, it's a matter of understanding their launcher is not capable (or designed) to throw something into orbit. They named it a suborbital launcher. It is to be used (supposedly) for stress testing satellites and such things.
You need a second push only because the first push wasn't big enough.
A "one-shot" push will create an elliptical orbit that returns through its origin position -- not good for a useful orbit.
That is an interesting and entertaining idea. I know why it doesn't comport with reality, but if I didn't - I would find it compelling!
I did, that's why I said it was entertaining! Thought experiment is in no way experiment, nor can it ever substitute for it! It is useful for hypothesis generation alone.
In this specific case, it's a matter of understanding their launcher is not capable (or designed) to throw something into orbit. They named it a suborbital launcher. It is to be used (supposedly) for stress testing satellites and such things.
You need a second push only because the first push wasn't big enough.
That is an interesting and entertaining idea. I know why it doesn't comport with reality, but if I didn't - I would find it compelling!
Trust me it does. Do a thought experiment with point masses.
Many years ago I helped port Space War to a Z80 computer. We played it on an ocilliscope.
You need two burns.
It doesn't.
I did, that's why I said it was entertaining! Thought experiment is in no way experiment, nor can it ever substitute for it! It is useful for hypothesis generation alone.
I understand why you say that.
OK, If you were on the top of Mt Everest and launched horizontally
you could get a one burn Mt Everest high orbit --- which is not very useful.
In actuality climbing the mountain would be the first burn and the horizontal burn would be the orbital insertion.
I understand your thought experiment.
No --- you need the second push because the angle is wrong.
The orbital insertion push is at a different angle.
You have to --- go up --- then go sideways.
I understand why you say that. There is no orbit at all :( Not the way your thought experiment imagines it.
I should have left the statement you quoted out. It isn't a productive area of discussion.
I am trying to say that you can't get a useful orbit with a one push slingshot.
It is a matter of geometry.
I understand.
Actually, it's a matter of "spooky action at a distance" and it is all entirely nonsense.