Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSquealer
Do i really need to be the first to point out the obvious fact that if you can get something out of earths orbit cost effectively... you can then simply release it and send it in any direction you wish to and never see it again?
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This would not work. The direction it would be "released" into would be the same direction and the same velocity as the ship that is carrying it. A little bit of thrust would be required to push it away.
The ship itself would still be in orbit, so the garbage it pushes away would still be in orbit too, and would eventually fall back to earth.
To get a ship out of orbit would be more expensive because it would take a little extra fuel to make it break away.
Once it broke away and the garbage was ejected, it could possibly drift forever, but it might also get caught up in the gravity of some other planet in the future and be sucked in.