Tag Archives: Science

Jul 14 2019

How to defend yourself against misleading statistics in the news | Sanne Blauw | TEDxMaastricht


Published on Nov 3, 2016

Numbers are being used every day. In the news, in politics, in our jobs, and even in our social interactions. They are used to convince, explain, but also to deflect from what is truly happening. Too often, numbers appear as abstract, objective and difficult. Sanne Blauw’s mission is to make the world of numbers accessible to all. Sanne has broken most stereotypes about someone interested in mathematics throughout her life. From working at the OECD, to being a member of her University Council, to becoming a journalist. Sanne is far more than what most people would expect from a person with a PhD in econometrics. She strives to convince all of us to second-guess the numbers that shape our worldview. This talk is a must for all who work in journalism. Sanne Blauw is journalist for De Correspondent. She obtained a PhD degree in econometrics at the Tinbergen Institute and the Econometric Institute of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Using various quantitative methods, she combined applied micro-econometrics, psychology and development economics. Sanne is convinced that a better understanding of statistics would make the world a better place. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
Jun 27 2019

Watch SpaceX Push their Falcon Heavy further than ever!


Want a full rundown? Check out our Prelaunch Preview for this launch! – https://everydayastronaut.com/prelaun… SpaceX will be launching the Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) rideshare mission for the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center on a Falcon Heavy rocket. This Falcon Heavy is composed of a new block 5 center core (B1057) and the two block 5 side boosters (B1052 & B1053) from the Arabsat-6A mission. The launch window for this mission opens at 11:30 PM EDT on June 24, 2019 and is 4 hours in duration. The Falcon Heavy will be lifting off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After burning for about 2 and a half minutes, the side boosters will separate from the core booster and boost back to the launch site for a landing at Landing Zones 1 & 2 (LZ-1 & LZ-2). The core booster will continue burning for another minute, before shutting down and separating from the second stage. The core booster will be landing approximately 1,240 km (771 miles) downrange on Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship, Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY).
Jun 24 2019

Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch Camera E-8


Published on Apr 7, 2013

This clip is raw from Camera E-8 on the launch umbilical tower/mobile launch program of Apollo 11, July 16, 1969. This is an HD transfer from the 16mm original. Even more excellent footage is available on our DVDs at our website at http://www.spacecraftfilms.com The camera is running at 500 fps, making the total clip of over 8 minutes represent just 30 seconds of actual time.
Jun 23 2019

Reaction Wheels – Things Kerbal Space Program Doesn’t Teach


Published on Jul 9, 2016

Reaction wheels in Kerbal Space Program might actually refer to a number of different technologies used to control the attitude of spacecraft. Let’s go into some detail about these.
Jun 23 2019

How Gravity Assists Work


Published on Sep 25, 2017

Time to clear up some misconceptions and show how a spacecraft’s close encounter with a planet can change a spacecraft’s orbit and enable trajectories beyond its available delta-v. I specifically cover some of the math and look at the unusual trajectory employed by the OSIRIS REx mission.
Jun 23 2019

Geostationary, Molniya, Tundra, Polar & Sun Synchronous Orbits Explained


Published on Jan 10, 2019

Illustrating different classes of orbits commonly used by satellites in Earth orbit, there are special classes of orbit designed to solve certain problems and the physics behind them is important. All the orbits are displayed using Universe Sandbox 2. Buy it here: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/un…
Jun 23 2019

Heat Shields – Things Kerbal Space Program Doesn’t Teach


Published on Dec 29, 2018

The science of Aerothermodynamics covers what happens during a spacecraft’s fiery flight through a planetary atmosphere as it sheds speed, converting kinetic energy into thermal energy. This represents a complex interaction between fluid mechanics, thermal radiation and chemistry. The engineering required to shield hardware against this intense heating is an equally complex multi disciplinary art. If you want to learn the math then this course offered an excellent overview: https://tfaws.nasa.gov/TFAWS12/Procee…
Jun 23 2019

Graveyard Orbits Where Old Satellites Are Forgotten


Scott Manley
Published on Jun 21, 2019
When a satellite is designed these days it’s also important to think about what happens at the end of its lifetime, for more LEO satellites they’ll happily decay and fall into the atmosphere on their own. But there are many cases where this can’t happen, either because the spacecraft doesn’t have the fuel, or because the satellite is dangerous. For these, there’s a retirement home in the graveyard orbit.

Jun 22 2019

How To Make Sure Ships Don’t Sink | Built From Disaster | Spark


Published on May 31, 2019

Advances in boat technology, including the design features that allow passenger ships to operate safely.
Jun 19 2019

Why do cylindrical rockets roll?


Everyday Astronaut

Here’s a fun question that not only have I myself asked, but I get asked fairly often, why do we hear a call out like “roger roll” or “roll program complete” at which point we can see the rocket rotate or roll on its X axis… The best example of this was the Space Shuttle which had a very obvious and dramatic roll program. As soon as it cleared the tower, you can see it making a very impressive and sometimes scary looking roll. Now a maneuver like this makes sense when a vehicle is asymmetrical like the Space Shuttle, but why do cylindrical rockets like the Saturn V, Titan, Atlas, Delta IV etc etc even bother doing a roll? Can’t rockets just tip over in whatever direction they need to go? Do a little pitch here, a little yaw there just as long as the pointy end is going the direction it’s intended to go, who cares which side of the rocket is facing the Earth and which side is facing space… right? So today we’ll first define the pitch, yaw, roll and their corresponding axis on a rocket, then we’re going to dive into why a rocket rolls in the first place, take a look at launch azimuths and their relationships to trajectories and we’ll look at some unique solutions to orientations including some rockets that don’t roll on ascent to align with their trajectory.