Falling in Space

Introduction

Being a space faring species, it seems obvious that we all should at least have some basic understanding of how we travel from A to B in space. Space travel is distinctly different from how we travel down here along or near the Earth's surface.

There is widespread misunderstanding about how space travel works which is likely partly due to fairly careless use of language by the experts who do know better. Industries and scientists who develop and perform experiments that can only be done in a weightless environment  are using expressions such as “microgravity, “zero gravity”, etc. which frankly is nonsense.

This seminar aims to properly inform the general public and to help eradicate many misconceptions and misunderstandings. Everybody living in the 21st century deserves to know how space travel works in principle, without having to be a rocket scientist.

Find the Course Booklet of this seminar here.

Episode

Description
1. Freefall What to expect from this Seminar. Why are astronauts weightless? What is wrong with “Zero Gravity”?
2. Aristotle to Galileo Aristotle’s view of the World. One and a half millennium of Ptolemy’s Almagest. Copernicus’ Celestial Orbs. Galileo, the Starry Messenger and much more.
3. Brahe and Kepler Tycho Brahe, the last great naked eye astronomer. Kepler shifted the paradigm.
4. Isaac Newton Timeline Copernicus to Newton. Discussion on Kepler's Laws. The two Great Comets of 1680. De Motu Corporum in Gyrum. The priciples of the Principia. Newton's laws of motion and gravity.
5. Newton's Mountain Let's follow Newton's thought experiment. The basics of Conic Sections. Escape velocity. Newton's mountain - 21st century style.
6. Earth Orbit From launch to freefall. Homann transfer. Orbital inclination. Orbital maintenance - how to keep the ISS in orbit. Rendezvous technique. Two recent examples; one almost went wrong.
7. Leaving Earth The final push off from Earth - a real world example of escaping Earth. Let's practice with the easiest planet to get to. Gravity assist. The simple three-body problem - Lagrangian points.
8. Leading Historic Missions Cassini to saturn. New Horizons to the Kuiper Belt. MESSENGER to Mercury.
9. Prime Ongoing Missions Juno to Jupiter. Lucy to Trojan asteroids.
10. Accelerated Spaceflight The rocket equation simplified. Propulsion systems in space. The catch that is often forgotten.
11. To the Stars Distance and Time. Acceleration and force. Energy. Hazards. What is the solution?