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From: james@reality1.UUCP (james)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Funny Orbits
Message-ID: <59@reality1.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 26-Oct-86 23:27:24 EST
Article-I.D.: reality1.59
Posted: Sun Oct 26 23:27:24 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Oct-86 20:08:55 EST
References: <352@linus.UUCP>
Reply-To: james@reality1.UUCP (james)
Distribution: net
Organization: Reality Computer Systems, Austin TX
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Xref: mnetor net.puzzle:1527 sci.physics:66

In article <352@linus.UUCP> bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) writes:
>Assume that an object in a circular orbit suddenly has its mass cut in half.
>What happens to the orbit?

>By the way, the factor of 2 in the above question is critical. If it is
>greater than 2 something else happens and if it is less than 2 something else
>happens.

Um, intuition makes me say nothing happens.  If a shuttle astronaut lets
go of the vehicle, he just floats there.  It doesn't matter how big the
astronaut is.  Since the same would be true of a rock, I would expect that
if a rock were cut in half in orbit, nothing would happen.

Aren't orbits about the earth a function of the velocity of the satellite
and not the mass???
-- 
James R. Van Artsdalen    ...!ut-ngp!utastro!osi3b2!james    "Live Free or Die"