Center of mass separate bodies, such as the planets of the Solar System, the center of mass may not correspond to the position of any individual member of the system. The center of mass is a useful reference point for calculations in mechanics that involve masses distributed in space, such as the linear and angular momentum of planetary bodies and rigid body dynamics. In orbital mechanics, the equations of motion of planets are formulated as point masses located at the centers of mass. The center of mass frame is an inertial frame in which the center of mass of a system is at
Escape velocity velocity and the escape velocity. With a circular orbit, escape velocity is times the orbital speed. Thus the total escape velocity formula_29 when leaving one body orbiting a second and seeking to escape them both is, under simplified assumptions: where formula_31 for circular orbits. The last two columns will depend precisely where in orbit escape velocity is reached, as the orbits are not exactly circular (particularly Mercury and Pluto). Let "G" be the gravitational constant and let "M" be the mass of the earth (or other gravitating body) and "m" be the mass of the escaping body or projectile. At