Spaceflight, Mathematics Of
The mathematics of spaceflight involves the combination of knowledge from two different areas of physics and mathematics: rocket science and celestial mechanics. Rocket science is the study of how to design and build rockets and how to efficiently launch a vehicle into space. Celestial mechanics is the study of the mathematics of orbits and trajectories in space. Celestial mechanics uses the laws of motion and the law of gravity as first stated by Isaac Newton.
A Short History of Rockets
People have wondered about the possibility of space flight since ancient times. Centuries ago the Chinese used rockets for ceremonial and military purposes. In the latter half of the twentieth century, we have been able to develop rockets powerful enough to launch vehicles into space with sufficient energy to achieve or exceed orbital velocities.
The rockets mentioned in the American national anthem, the "Star Spangled Banner," were British rockets fired at the American fortress in Baltimore. However, these so-called "Congreves," named for their inventor, Sir William Congreve, were not the first war rockets. Some six centuries before, the Chinese connected a tube of primitive gunpowder to an arrow and created an effective rocket weapon to defend against the Mongols.
This page contains 201 words.
Spaceflight, Mathematics Of article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 1,749 words
(approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Space exploration Article
