Sections
| Literal Table of Contents | ||
|---|---|---|
Recent Updates
The Last Unicorn in the Books section.
Mars Trilogy in the Books section.
Jupiter mass and density in the Astronomy section
Hohmann transfer in the Simulations section
Basics of Rocketry
Some very basic derivations of equations of rocketry. Why are rockets so big, and the things they launch so small?
Note: the equations created using MathJax might look too small on mobile browsers in portrait mode. They render to correct size in landscape mode. Its a MathJax issue known since 2012 and no easy wayto fix.
Update: Learned about HTML viewport. MathJax size issue fixed.
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Constants
Some constants used in the calculations - Derivation of Tsiolkovsky's Rocket Equation
- Delta Vee and Fuel Burned
- Reaching Orbit
- Multi Stage Rockets
- Exhaust Velocity and Specific Impulse
- Basic way to estimate average exhaust velocity
- Relationship between Thrust, Exhaust Velocity and Specific Impulse
- The vis-viva Equation
- Hohmann Ellipse
Simulations and Other Little Programs
I sometimes play around with VPython/GlowScript to simulate things like planetary orbits, pendulums, spring-mass systems, spacecraft trajectories. VPython is a relatively simple way to get into it. If you've added all the force vectors correctly, you can calculate acceleration, then use Euler's Method or Runge-Kutta to calculate the velocity and position.
- Euler's Method
- Mass on a Spring Goes boing boing
- Elliptical Orbit
- Earth and Mars Orbits and Distance to Each Other as They Orbit
- Hohmann Transfer from a lower orbit to a higher one.
Other Little Programs
- Caesar Cypher, a very simple Substitution Cypher
- Vigenere Cypher, a more advanced cypher.
- Another version of Vigenere that allows spaces and punctuation.
Astronomy: How do we know that?
How do we know what we know about the planets and stars, their distances and masses amd densities and temperature? Even before space flight, scientists could make educated guesses about them just from ground based observations. It's like space CSI.
This section shows how basic geometry and physics were used to deduce properties of astronomical bodies.
- Parallax: distance to the planets.
- Using angle to measure Diameter of a Planet, Distance to its Moons and mass and density of the planet.
- Mass and Density of Jupiter and Saturn using their moons.
- Parsecs, distance to the closer stars.
- Light emission by hot objects: Colour and temperature of stars
- Basic orbital mechanics
- Hohmann Transfer from a lower orbit to a higher one.
- Orbital Rendezvous
- Why don't nebulas just collapse into one giant ball? Shell theorem and gravity.
Sufism
"The stomach of Bushaq
is so stuffed with pie
He no longer searches for candy
And artichokes just won't fit anymore."
Fakhr e Jahan (Glory of the Universe)
We have been rooted in the skies,
we have been the friends of the angels,
And now we are going back there,
for there is our chief city.
Books, and thoughts of books
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Mars Trilogy, Thirty Years On (Part One)
- Mars Trilogy, Thirty Years On (Part Two): Psychological Profiles
- Mars Trilogy, Thirty Years On (Part Three): Alternative Economics
- Mars Trilogy, Thirty Years On (Part Four): Cultural Diversity vs Economic Hegemony
- Mars Trilogy, Thirty Years On (Part Five): Sufis on Mars
- Mars Trilogy, Thirty Years On (Part Six): Ultracapitalism
The Last Unicorn
The Last Unicorn, a book I found satisfying as an adult after the disappointment of rewatching the animated feature I'd loved as a kid.Sites I Like
- Atomic Rockets
- Orion's Arm
- Encyclopedia Astronautica
- https://simplifier.neocities.org/
- Tolkien Forum on Sf-Fandom.com (where I am known as Coconut Ent)
- Mystic Vault Society
Webcomics I follow
Leaving so soon?
