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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!gymble!lll-crg!dual!mordor!@S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC.ARPA:Ghenis.pasa@Xerox.ARPA
From: @S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC.ARPA:Ghenis.pasa@Xerox.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Getting stuck in the middle of space
Message-ID: <2044@mordor.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Jun-85 13:19:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: mordor.2044
Posted: Mon Jun  3 13:19:52 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Jun-85 10:51:32 EDT
Sender: daemon@mordor.UUCP
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From: Ghenis.pasa@Xerox.ARPA

>>> 
>>> Getting stuck "motionless" in vacuum is another matter.  But
>>> if one got stuck there by pushing another mass away, won't
>>> the astronaut and the mass meet again in one orbit?
>> 
>> Not if the force is along the velocity vector, at least.  If you
>> push away a mass along the velocity vector one object will go
>> into a higher orbit and the other into a lower orbit.  If the
>> force is not along the velocity vector things get complex.
>
>Whoops!  After exactly one orbit you will meet up again, and will every
>orbit until one party or the other is disturbed.  Sorry ....

Whoops! Both objects will continue to pass through the point of
separation in each orbit, but they will not meet for a long time because
having different orbits they will have different orbital periods, hence
they won't return to that point AT THE SAME TIME after one orbit. Sorry
....