(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/orbital_mechanics.png)
http://xkcd.com/ (http://xkcd.com/)
Kerbal Space Program: https://kerbalspaceprogram.com/ (https://kerbalspaceprogram.com/)
Like it! Funnily enough, my CC had talked about this at the last meeting and was wondering if we could use it for AE!
Never heard of it before that meeting, I have to admit.
I usually preface any discussion I have about orbital mechanics with "I know a bunch about this, and I know I don't know a thing, really. There are people way smarter than me who do this for a living. And it is complex."
Like statistics, its something that usually your first-pass assumptions are all wrong about
Quote from: Brit_in_CAP on April 16, 2014, 01:28:05 PM
Like it! Funnily enough, my CC had talked about this at the last meeting and was wondering if we could use it for AE!
Never heard of it before that meeting, I have to admit.
I was thinking the same thing, though I haven't had the opportunity to try it out as a demonstration yet (just for goofing off in my free time). I say go for it, the worst that can happen is we learn how to use it better in the future. KSP has some great tools for demonstration to the Cadets- not just orbital mechanics, but in the spaceplane side as well. Start with a basic plane, and try shifting center of thrust and center of lift around, show the cadets just what those really mean when applied and not just a concept. They having them "fix" a design to get something flying :)
Not to mention, if you haven't seen the latest update, they've partnered with NASA on an "asteroid return mission," where the goal is to rendezvous with, grab, and return an asteroid to orbit around the home planet. It's a great tool to introduce not only the "how things work" stuff, but to talk about real current events and future plans from NASA, SpaceX, Planetary Resources (real life asteroid mining concept) and more.
Quote from: NIN on April 16, 2014, 02:29:53 PM
I usually preface any discussion I have about orbital mechanics with "I know a bunch about this, and I know I don't know a thing, really. There are people way smarter than me who do this for a living. And it is complex."
Like statistics, its something that usually your first-pass assumptions are all wrong about
We have the same issue when trying to teach the physics of countersteering a motorcycle. There are whole
groups of Ph.ds who disagree on the "whys and hows".
We found it was simpler and quicker to simply say "you'll get it when you feel it the first time", much as Kerbal demonstrates for OM.
Setting up and running Kerbal is / would be an excellent winter AE project.
In the topic New AEO below I posted a link to a series of potential AE projects developed by NASA. It's the last posting on the thread.
Quote from: Eclipse on April 16, 2014, 02:42:22 PM
Quote from: NIN on April 16, 2014, 02:29:53 PM
I usually preface any discussion I have about orbital mechanics with "I know a bunch about this, and I know I don't know a thing, really. There are people way smarter than me who do this for a living. And it is complex."
Like statistics, its something that usually your first-pass assumptions are all wrong about
We have the same issue when trying to teach the physics of countersteering a motorcycle. There are whole
groups of Ph.ds who disagree on the "whys and hows".
We found it was simpler and quicker to simply say "you'll get it when you feel it the first time", much as Kerbal demonstrates for OM.
Setting up and running Kerbal is / would be an excellent winter AE project.
First time counter steering...a leap of faith.
Push right, go right. I used to demo it on a bike set up on a half gimbal and having a small electric motor running the front wheel. Many naysayers were fairly quickly convinced.
KSP is a great program, and for the younger cadets who simply want to enjoy the simulated thrill of going to space without the math headaches, you can always install the MechJeb mod which is a powerful autopilot suite.
On the other hand, if you really want a challenge, check out Orbiter: http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/ (http://orbit.medphys.ucl.ac.uk/)