Orbital
noun
A path followed by objects moving around a star, planet, or moon.
The satellite entered into an orbital path around the Earth
Often appears as...
- orbital path
- orbital motion
adjective
Relating to an orbit.
The observer's orbital speed.
Often appears as...
- orbital speed
- orbital period
noun
The eye socket, or a cavity for one of the structures or organs in the body.
He had an injury to his orbital bone.
Often appears as...
- orbital bone
- orbital fracture
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
adjective
Involving or occurring in an electronic orbital.
This molecule has an unoccupied orbital.
Often appears as...
- orbital electron
- orbital energy
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
noun
A path followed by objects moving around a star, planet, or moon.
The satellite entered into an orbital path around the Earth
Often appears as...
- orbital path
- orbital motion
adjective
Relating to an orbit.
The observer's orbital speed.
Often appears as...
- orbital speed
- orbital period
noun
The eye socket, or a cavity for one of the structures or organs in the body.
He had an injury to his orbital bone.
Often appears as...
- orbital bone
- orbital fracture
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
adjective
Involving or occurring in an electronic orbital.
This molecule has an unoccupied orbital.
Often appears as...
- orbital electron
- orbital energy
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
Definition 1 of 4
Pro Tip 1/3Space Movements
Refers to the actual trajectory of celestial bodies, not just the concept of movement.
The comet's orbital path brought it close to Earth.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Always Circular
'Orbital' suggests a looped path but does not mean it's perfectly round; orbits can be elliptical.
Most planets have elliptical orbital patterns around the sun.
Pro Tip 3/3Stability Implied
An 'orbital' path is stable and controlled, not random or accidental.
The satellite maintained a stable orbital course for years.
Pro Tip 1/3Space Movements
Refers to the actual trajectory of celestial bodies, not just the concept of movement.
The comet's orbital path brought it close to Earth.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Always Circular
'Orbital' suggests a looped path but does not mean it's perfectly round; orbits can be elliptical.
Most planets have elliptical orbital patterns around the sun.
Pro Tip 3/3Stability Implied
An 'orbital' path is stable and controlled, not random or accidental.
The satellite maintained a stable orbital course for years.
Pro Tip 1/3Space Movements
Refers to the actual trajectory of celestial bodies, not just the concept of movement.
The comet's orbital path brought it close to Earth.
Pro Tip 2/3Not Always Circular
'Orbital' suggests a looped path but does not mean it's perfectly round; orbits can be elliptical.
Most planets have elliptical orbital patterns around the sun.
Pro Tip 3/3Stability Implied
An 'orbital' path is stable and controlled, not random or accidental.
The satellite maintained a stable orbital course for years.
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Video examples
Let's clean up the space...
But these satellites that we rely on day in and day out have a finite life. They might run out of propellant, they could malfunction, or they may just naturally reach the end of their mission life. At this point, these satellites effectively become space junk, cluttering the orbital environment.
Video examples
Kathryn Schulz: Don't...
Because the inability to experience regret is actually one of the diagnostic characteristics of sociopaths. It's also, by the way, a characteristic of certain kinds of brain damage. So people who have damage to their orbital frontal cortex seem to be unable to feel regret
Video examples
Want interstellar...
space exploration it impacted everybody because this picture you know we always are looking now at orbital sunrises right everybody knows that we're on this planet Earth but the question I have to ask now what are we today going to do to contribute to those same kinds of
Video examples
Dark matter: How does it...
Dark matter adds to the gravity of the galaxy and explains the orbital speed of stars far from the galactic center. Dark matter has not yet been directly observed, but scientists believe that it is likely to be real, mostly because the other options have been ruled out.
Video examples
Elon Musk: The future...
We're at eight or nine. And for the first time, you've actually reflown one of the rockets that landed. Yeah, so we landed the rocket booster and then prepped it for flight again and flew it again, so it's the first reflight of an orbital booster
Video examples
What if every satellite...
these highways only become more congested over time. The good news is, we can protect ourselves by studying our solar system, creating backup options for our satellite networks, and cooperating to avoid an orbital tragedy of the commons.
Video examples
Mars Up Close, Part 1:...
uh... phyllosilicates which are clays, sulfates, some others. And they began finding those. Ah, so, they had this orbital information, now it was the time to do something called 'ground-truthing' which is Curiosity.
Video examples
Buzz Aldrin: Mission to...
a six passenger to pilot suborbital right vehicle how important is suborbital to get people acclimated to the true experience of orbital flight is it a well you not ask the master
Video examples
Elon Musk: A future...
in a few months. So we're actually integrating -- will be integrating the engines into the booster for the first orbital flight starting in about a week or two.
Video examples
What Happens When an...
impossible every orbital launch generates rocket parts as debris as mine once did some pieces remain orbiting forever some burn
Video examples
Let's clean up the space...
But these satellites that we rely on day in and day out have a finite life. They might run out of propellant, they could malfunction, or they may just naturally reach the end of their mission life. At this point, these satellites effectively become space junk, cluttering the orbital environment.
Video examples
Kathryn Schulz: Don't...
Because the inability to experience regret is actually one of the diagnostic characteristics of sociopaths. It's also, by the way, a characteristic of certain kinds of brain damage. So people who have damage to their orbital frontal cortex seem to be unable to feel regret
Video examples
Want interstellar...
space exploration it impacted everybody because this picture you know we always are looking now at orbital sunrises right everybody knows that we're on this planet Earth but the question I have to ask now what are we today going to do to contribute to those same kinds of
Video examples
Dark matter: How does it...
Dark matter adds to the gravity of the galaxy and explains the orbital speed of stars far from the galactic center. Dark matter has not yet been directly observed, but scientists believe that it is likely to be real, mostly because the other options have been ruled out.
Video examples
Elon Musk: The future...
We're at eight or nine. And for the first time, you've actually reflown one of the rockets that landed. Yeah, so we landed the rocket booster and then prepped it for flight again and flew it again, so it's the first reflight of an orbital booster
Video examples
What if every satellite...
these highways only become more congested over time. The good news is, we can protect ourselves by studying our solar system, creating backup options for our satellite networks, and cooperating to avoid an orbital tragedy of the commons.
Video examples
Mars Up Close, Part 1:...
uh... phyllosilicates which are clays, sulfates, some others. And they began finding those. Ah, so, they had this orbital information, now it was the time to do something called 'ground-truthing' which is Curiosity.
Video examples
Buzz Aldrin: Mission to...
a six passenger to pilot suborbital right vehicle how important is suborbital to get people acclimated to the true experience of orbital flight is it a well you not ask the master
Video examples
Elon Musk: A future...
in a few months. So we're actually integrating -- will be integrating the engines into the booster for the first orbital flight starting in about a week or two.
Video examples
What Happens When an...
impossible every orbital launch generates rocket parts as debris as mine once did some pieces remain orbiting forever some burn
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Leroy Chiao
American Astronaut
Did I think about the risks? Of course I did. Anyone who says otherwise is not being completely honest. The amount of energy it takes to bring a spacecraft to orbital speed, and the forces it endures on re-entry, makes risk impossible to avoid.
Quote examples
Andy Weir
American Novelist
I study orbital dynamics as a hobby. My idea of a good time is sitting down and drawing on that knowledge to imagine a space mission from beginning to end, getting as many details right as I can.
Quote examples
Gus Grissom
American Astronaut
The flight crew for the orbital mission has been picked, and I'm not on it. Of course I've been feeling pretty low for the past few days. All of us are mad because Glenn was picked.
Quote examples
Henry Spencer
Canadian Scientist
The key virtue of orbital assembly is that it eliminates the tight connection between the size of the expedition and the size of the rockets used to launch it.
Quote examples
Kenichi Fukui
Japanese Scientist
The frontier orbital approach was further developed in various directions by my own group and many other scientists, both theoretical and experimental.
Quote examples
Steve Jurvetson
American Businessman
Since the Moon has no atmosphere, it presents a unique orbital opportunity - we could fly incredibly close to the surface while staying in lunar orbit.
Quote examples
Debra Fischer
American Scientist
As our sensitivity improves, we are finally seeing planets with longer orbital periods, planetary systems that look more like our solar system.
Quote examples
Jared Isaacman
American Businessman
I think if orbital space flight is just the exclusive domain of a couple of countries and a select few, I don't know how far we're gonna get.
Quote examples
Jeff Bezos
American Businessman
We're working on New Glenn, which is our orbital vehicle, but we have in our mind's eye an even bigger vehicle called New Armstrong.
Quote examples
Conor McGregor
Irish Athlete
I break orbital bones.
Quote examples
Leroy Chiao
American Astronaut
Did I think about the risks? Of course I did. Anyone who says otherwise is not being completely honest. The amount of energy it takes to bring a spacecraft to orbital speed, and the forces it endures on re-entry, makes risk impossible to avoid.
Quote examples
Andy Weir
American Novelist
I study orbital dynamics as a hobby. My idea of a good time is sitting down and drawing on that knowledge to imagine a space mission from beginning to end, getting as many details right as I can.
Quote examples
Gus Grissom
American Astronaut
The flight crew for the orbital mission has been picked, and I'm not on it. Of course I've been feeling pretty low for the past few days. All of us are mad because Glenn was picked.
Quote examples
Henry Spencer
Canadian Scientist
The key virtue of orbital assembly is that it eliminates the tight connection between the size of the expedition and the size of the rockets used to launch it.
Quote examples
Kenichi Fukui
Japanese Scientist
The frontier orbital approach was further developed in various directions by my own group and many other scientists, both theoretical and experimental.
Quote examples
Steve Jurvetson
American Businessman
Since the Moon has no atmosphere, it presents a unique orbital opportunity - we could fly incredibly close to the surface while staying in lunar orbit.
Quote examples
Debra Fischer
American Scientist
As our sensitivity improves, we are finally seeing planets with longer orbital periods, planetary systems that look more like our solar system.
Quote examples
Jared Isaacman
American Businessman
I think if orbital space flight is just the exclusive domain of a couple of countries and a select few, I don't know how far we're gonna get.
Quote examples
Jeff Bezos
American Businessman
We're working on New Glenn, which is our orbital vehicle, but we have in our mind's eye an even bigger vehicle called New Armstrong.
Quote examples
Conor McGregor
Irish Athlete
I break orbital bones.
Example 1 of 10
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