Tangential Flight

“Tangential flight” isn’t a standard term in aerospace engineering. However, it likely refers to a specific phase in the trajectory of an object, like a spacecraft or a projectile, where it’s moving **tangent** to the Earth’s surface. Let’s break this down:

**Understanding the Concept:**


* **Tangent:** In geometry, a tangent line touches a curve at a single point and has the same direction as the curve at that point. Imagine a ball rolling off a table – at the moment it leaves the table, its motion is tangential to the table’s surface.

* **Earth’s Curvature:** Earth is a sphere (well, almost!).  This curvature is crucial for tangential flight.

**How Tangential Flight Works:**

1. **Launch and Ascent:** An object, like a spacecraft, is launched with enough velocity to overcome Earth’s gravity and reach a significant altitude.

2. **Curved Trajectory:**  Due to gravity, the object’s path isn’t straight but curved. It follows a trajectory that’s influenced by both its initial velocity and the pull of gravity.

3. **Tangential Point:** At a specific point in its trajectory, the object’s direction of motion becomes parallel to the Earth’s surface at that location. This is the “tangential flight” phase.

4. **Continuing the Journey:**  The object doesn’t stay in tangential flight forever. Gravity continues to act on it, eventually pulling it back towards Earth or allowing it to escape into space depending on its velocity.

**Examples of Tangential Flight:**


* **Orbital Mechanics:** Spacecraft in orbit around Earth are constantly in a state of “falling around” the planet. Their trajectory includes sections where their motion is tangential to the Earth’s surface.

* **Suborbital Flights:** Rockets on suborbital trajectories, like those used for short space tourism trips, experience a period of tangential flight before being pulled back down by gravity.

* **Projectile Motion (Simplified):** Even a ball thrown horizontally experiences a brief moment of tangential flight before its trajectory curves downward due to gravity.

**Importance of Tangential Flight:**

* **Space Travel:** Understanding tangential flight is crucial for calculating orbital insertion, re-entry maneuvers, and interplanetary trajectories.

* **Ballistics:**  In long-range projectile motion, considering the Earth’s curvature and tangential flight becomes important for accurate calculations.



Conclusion:  “Tangential flight” might not be an official term. It effectively describes the point where an object’s motion aligns with the Earth’s curvature. This concept is fundamental in understanding orbital mechanics, space travel, and even the motion of everyday projectiles over long distances.

Note : A drone device was created that demonstrates this geometric principle. It is able to rotate on its axis in all directions it design is that of a hydrogen atom.

It was shown on the Joel Rogen podcast.    Terrence Howard (actor) stated he was the one who created it.