A Last Second Lunar Lander – Part 2
Part 2 of a series on the math behind suicide burns.
A Last Second Lunar Lander – Part 1
Last Second Lunar Lander This post begins to to over the math behind a suicide burn maneuver. It covers what is a suicide burn along with generating the systems governing equations. What is a suicide burn? A suicide burn is a colloquialism for any powered landing that you turn your engine to full thrust at…
Modeling Fireflies in Sync
Background If you are in a rural part of Tennessee or south-east Asia on a warm summer night, you might be treated to one of mother natures original light shows. Staring into the dark of night, you will see a flash of light from a firefly. It will soon be followed by a second, and…
How to Pump a Swing Using Math – Dynamic Systems
Introduction Growing up I really liked swings. I liked to pump the swing up as high as I could go. Young me would always try to go over the top pole for a full 360 degree swing. Unfortunately, I never went fast enough and the chain link arms, holding the seat to the pole, would…