Carolee C ollinsf age 10, of Seattle, WA

What keeps the earth from falling?

The earth is a huge spinning globe, surrounded on all sides by the vast emptiness of space. Around it orbits the moon and together they orbit the sun, These bigs wide spaces are apt to make us feel dizzy ‑until we remember the solid ground under our feet, The earth, the moon and the planets have been swinging safely around their orbits for billions of years and there are strict laws which keep them in their proper places.

The earth could not fall out of its orbit because it is held there by forces stronger than ropes of steel. It is far, far safer than a train speeding along the railroad tracks. The earth's gravity and the sum s gravity tug at each other, pulling the two heavenly bodies together and preventing the earth from sailing off out of the Solar System, The speed of the earth as it travels its orbit pulls us away and prevents the earth from falling into the sun.