In addition, Messenger will use this lap around Mercury to help put the spacecraft on a trajectory to help it return to orbit around the planet permanently by 2011.

NPR: New Images May Shed Light on Mercury's Mysteries

Meteorological and ground observation satellites also follow the path Sir Arthur mapped out, and the term Clarke Orbit is sometimes used to describe their trajectory.

BBC: NEWS | Technology | Arthur C Clarke: predictions

Using amateur video footage, they were able to plot the meteor's trajectory through Earth's atmosphere and then reconstruct its orbit around the Sun.

BBC: Russia meteor's origin tracked down

To reconstruct the meteor's original orbit around the Sun, they used six different properties of its trajectory through Earth's atmosphere.

BBC: Russia meteor's origin tracked down