"tengchaH bavbe' Dujmaj."

Translation: Our ship does not orbit the space station.

[JamesTWils]

Wouldn't there have to be an enormous difference in mass between the ship and the station for the one to orbit the other anyway? Otherwise, it might circle around, but there would not be any balancing between inertia and gravity. Of course, I suppose we could posit artificial gravity for precisely this reason.

[DavidTrimb3]

You wouldn't need an enormous difference in mass, just an enormous mass compared to their relative velocities. Two equally massive bodies will orbit each other just fine. A ship and a spaceship will orbit each other too, but their escape velocities will be so small they will barely be moving at all. The slightest bit of thrust and you've exceeded escape velocity.

That doesn't stop Star Trek from depicting spaceships impossibly orbiting Deep Space Station K-7.

[JamesTWils]

Good point, though the ships might nit be orbiting K-7. Maybe they're just driving around it, like I drive around a parking lot waiting for a space to open up.

[DavidTrimb3]

You drive around a parking lot to avoid blocking other traffic from passing. That's not an issue in space. Just stop your ship somewhere nearby and beam over. Even if you don't have transporters, the Enterprise and the Gr'oth do, so they're not waiting for a turn to dock.

It's just Star Trek being unintentionally silly.

[JamesTWils]

That would, indeed, be a waste of dilithium crystal, wouldn't it.

[DavidTrimb3]

"Put us in orbit around the space station, Mr. Sulu."

"But Captain! A starship can't orb—"

"Shush, Mr. Sulu! They don't pay us the big bucks just for sitting at a distance."

[JamesTWils]

I'm a doctor not a physicist, Jim.