So, I was thinking about gravity. Now, I know how gravity works. But my question is this.
The further away you get from an object, the less the gravity is apon it. Also, I know about the orbit or w.e thing.
So if you are 100 miles off the earth, going at the exact velocity to keep you in geostationary orbit; if you raise the height of your orbit 1 more meter, your speed is no longer fast enough to keep you in geostationary orbit, since you would need a faster speed due to the increased circumference. What isn't added into this thought is the of the decrease in gravity's effect apon the satelite.
This means that not only would you be going 1/10th slower than the speed required to stay in geostationary orbit, but you now have 1/10th less gravity pulling you down.
So, if your speed stayed the same, would you just fall back into the correct orbit? Also, what about momentum? If your momentum was going downward due to insufficient speed to stay in geostationary orbit, would your inertia actually result in putting you further below your starting point, meaning you would be going faster than circumference allows, and therefor, would the satellite go back up?
If this is the case, then it would seem to me that all one would need to do is throw a satellite into orbit, and let it find it's own height in which it wants to stay?
Am I missing some variables?
P.S. im asking this because I just thought of it at the top of my head, and if it's true, would make a fascinating essay for my teacher!
