New riddle

[Tristan Croll]

The one in New York. British floor numbers go G-1-2... while American floor numbers start from 1, so the New York ball is actually being dropped from a floor lower than the London one.

[simon c]

very good, your turn

[Tristan Croll]

You are in a spaceship trying to dock with an orbiting satellite. It is in a lower orbit than you, ahead and moving past quickly. What is the most efficient way to catch up with it (without waiting for it to come around again)?

[echnidna]

fart very strongly

[Tristan Croll]

In which direction?

[Bob Willson]

Drop to a lower orbit

[Tristan Croll]

A little more detail, please? (i.e. in which direction do you fire your rockets? Hint: two steps are required)

Edit: Extra Hint - I consider this to be a riddle because the answer is completely non-intuitive...

[Bob Willson]

As I have some maneuvering thrusters mounted on the bow of my spaceship. I would make the first thrust towards the earth. This would tip the pointy bit of my spaceship towards the earth and I could then fire my rear bits

[outback]

Lucky Bob, you must have the new model, most of us are stuck without the front boosrers on our spaceships, so to get the front down we all gotta run right up the front and tip it, this is pretty well useless in zero gravity though.

[Tristan Croll]

One way to do it, but remember you have to stop again at the other end! Another big hint: even though it's moving past you, you're currently moving faster than the lower satellite!

[Driver]

Polish your thrusters. A useful product for this application is Max Factor Knacker Lacquer. As most people know, it adds a lustre to your thruster.

[craigb]

Ask the computer to do it.

"Dock with that satellite HAL"

That should work. Unless of course it's having a nervous breakdown :eek:

[Tristan Croll]

[Tristan Croll]

No takers? The way to catch up with the satellite is, funnily enough, to decelerate. This drops you to a lower orbit with a faster rotation rate, allowing you to overtake the satellite. Once you're past it, you then need to accelerate, reducing your rotation rate and allowing the satellite to catch up to you. Strange but true.

A real riddle:

How many letters does the correct answer to this question contain?

[Bob Willson]

30