As in throwing something, satellites are launched by rocket to enter their orbit around Earth, like any object being launched from the ground. But unlike its trajectory when being released directly, their paths follow curves rather than straight paths. Satellites in high orbit offer scientists stunning pictures of our planet and solar system. At the […]
Spacecraft in Orbit Read More »
Spacecraft in orbit serve as our entryway into our solar system, galaxy and beyond. They carry instruments ranging from cameras and telescopes to radar and spectrometers – offering access to information in multiple dimensions. To achieve orbit, a rocket must travel high above most of Earth’s atmosphere in an elliptical path around our planet –
Spacecraft in Orbit Read More »
As throwing something into the air causes it to follow a curving path, so too do satellites require an equal balance of momentum from their rocket and gravity in order to remain in orbit. Only when this equilibrium has been found can spacecraft remain stationary within their orbital path. Some orbits, like those occupied by
How to Keep a Spacecraft in Orbit Read More »
SpaceX finally achieved orbit with its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft after years of failure, fulfilling their ambitious plans to transport people and cargo to Mars and other solar system destinations. At the core of these vehicles are powerful rocket engines which use methane and oxygen fuel for thrust, with any excess being recycled
SpaceX Launches Dragon and Falcon 9 Spacecraft Into Orbit Read More »
When you look up at night and see an arcing trail of light arcing across the sky, those are spacecraft in orbit. Scientists figured out their orbits long before humans ventured into space travel. Orbits are circular paths followed by satellites, asteroids and planets around Earth under control of gravity. Spacecraft Spacecraft are vehicles or
Spacecraft in Orbit Read More »
JPL launches spacecraft into orbit via launch vehicles like Soyuz or NASA’s shuttles; each one designed for specific tasks. They must generate enough thrust to counter the force of gravity pulling down on them, but to do that they require lots of fuel. How a Spacecraft is Launched Spacecraft may be efficient machines, but their
How Does a Spacecraft Launch Get Into Orbit? Read More »
On 1 October, the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s bepiColombo mission will make its initial flyby of Mercury to gather images for scientists who anticipate starting its main mission sometime between 2025-2027. Mercury can teach us a great deal about how rocky, Earth-like planets form. But before we can glean any insights
New Spacecraft to Mercury – First Flyby of the Solar System’s Closest Planet Read More »
Spacecraft dynamics is the subfield of celestial mechanics which studies human-created objects’ movements through space. It encompasses calculations, refinement and planning for such bodies such as spacecraft or satellites. Spacecraft Dynamics block computes position, velocity and attitude over time of six degree-of-freedom rigid-body systems with six degrees-of-freedom rigid bodies. Mass tab allows specifying an initial
Spacecraft Dynamics Read More »
Caltech researchers have discovered an immense planet known as Planet Nine that orbits approximately 20 times further from the Sun than Neptune and 10 times greater in mass than Earth, taking between 10,000-20 years for one orbit around our solar system. Size An enormous planet that dwarfs Earth has been discovered slumbering at the edges
New Planet Found Deep in the Solar System Read More »
