|  Plotting a new trajectory is never a simple task. Just ask Dave Doody, a senior engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Doody is the lead flight engineer of NASA’s Cassini Solstice Mission, a mission in which the Cassini spacecraft is gathering and sending back information on the planet Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. Once a year, Doody also teaches Basics of Interplanetary Flight at Art Center at Night, a course in which curious students from all walks of life explore what it takes to navigate spacecraft across the solar system. “In the class we’re not just talking, we’re doing activities and experimenting,” says Doody, who explains that some concepts are easier to grasp after seeing them in action. For example, Doody’s students use a pinball-like gravity assist simulator to visualize how spacecraft use a planet’s momentum to boost their speed. They also use strong magnets to interact with plasma to see the effects of the solar wind on magnetic fields. “I try to take something abstract, put it right in your face, and let you play with it,” says Doody. Read more about Doody and his class. Ready to launch? Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested in ACN. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment