Could an astronaut throw a rock from orbit and watch it re-enter? Theoretically, of course!?

Question

Let's say an astronaut is doing an EVA on the ISS.  He's outside with a clear view to earth and he has say a pop bottle or even a rock.  If he were to WHIP IT in the opposite direction of the travel of the station (x mph velocity below orbital speed) and downwards---do you think he could watch it reenter the atmosphere?

T.J. · Accepted Answer

He wouldn't be able to watch it. The ISS is too far away to simply toss something and watch it burn up. The ISS's speed would remain constant leaving the floating object in a degrading orbit... could take days/weeks before it slows down enough.

dmoney_sc · Answer

If he threw it at the speed of the spacecraft, it would no longer have any horizontal motion relative to the earth, so it would start falling. However, by the time it entered the atmosphere, several minutes would have gone by, and the spacecraft would have moved by several miles. Also, it would be much harder to see a meteor from above because of light from the earth. Even if the astronaut were above the dark side of the earth, and over water, and during a new moon, there would probably be too much light interference to see the flash of a meteor.

Mike Rotch · Answer

No. The ISS is too high up, and the rock would just fall into a lower orbit. Also, rocks are tiny, so the astronaut would lose sight of it quickly.

Could an astronaut throw a rock from orbit and watch it re-enter? Theoretically, of course!?

3 Answers