Orbit
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Orbit is a term used to describe the flight path of an object in space which has a repetitive motion and has a distinct center with respect to its flightpath.
A starship uses a form of orbit to maintain its relative position. The term orbit is also used to define the flight path of a planet within its own solar system.
In 2269, Spock detailed to Abraham Lincoln that the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was 643 miles, 2,021 feet, 2.04 inches above the surface of Excalbia.
There are several forms of orbit; some of them are referred to by Star Fleet personnel with names like "standard orbit" or "high orbit."
- Synchronous orbit: This form is used by a starship to maintain position towards a specific point on a planet's surface. The ship's velocity will be the same as the rotation speed of the planet.
- High orbit: A form of orbit in which the starship maintains a large distance from the planet's surface for safety reasons but is still close enough to use the transporter. The USS Voyager parked in high orbit over Earth, when it visited the planet in 1996, at an altitude of 20,000 kilometers.
- Polar orbit: A type of spacecraft orbit that passes within 22,300 miles of the geographic poles of a planet. An image of the Nimbus 1 satellite in polar orbit of Earth was seen in the USS Enterprise library computer.
Terok Nor (later Deep Space 9), was in synchronous orbit of Bajor during the Occupation.
