Can an astronaut throw a baseball so it hits Earth?

Can an astronaut throw a ball to the Earth? The answer is Yes, and No. The extra velocity you gave it with your throw is in the same direction as before, but because of the orbit, that direction now points away from the Earth and directly back towards the ISS. So it doesn’t keep going towards the Earth.

Can you throw a baseball around the world?

9 Answers. Yes, but only because the Earth rotates. If you throw the ball, you will end up in a slightly different spot.

What would happen to a baseball if you could throw it in outer space?

Friction is a force that opposes the motion of an object. A baseball, if thrown in outer space, would continue to move in a straight line at a constant speed forever or until it encounters a force that changes its motion.

How far can you throw a baseball on the moon?

More generally, Mr. Brancazio said, consider a batted ball that rises at an angle of 40 degrees, travels 385 feet — a deep drive if not a home run — and stays aloft for five seconds on the earth. On the moon the same ball will go 890 feet and stay in the air for 21.1 seconds.

Does the Earth travel when you throw a ball?

First, if you throw a ball towards the Earth – yes it’s traveling that way when you throw it. So, it is natural to think that no matter how slow it is, it would get there eventually.

How does the orbit of the International Space Station affect the ball?

If the orbit of the ISS is perfectly circular, your ball’s orbit will be more elliptical. It has a perigee – time when it’s closest to the Earth a quarter of an orbit after you threw it, then returns across the orbit of the ISS half an orbit later, and has an apogee, furthest from Earth, three quarters of an orbit after you throw it.

What would happen if you throw a ball from the ISS?

If you throw a ball towards the Earth from the ISS you’d think it would fall into the Tasmanian sea. After all it is traveling towards the sea, so no matter how slowly it travels, surely it will get there eventually.

Is it possible for an object to hit the Earth?

The answer is Yes, and No. Depends what you mean by hitting the Earth. First, if you throw a ball towards the Earth – yes it’s traveling that way when you throw it. So, it is natural to think that no matter how slow it is, it would get there eventually.