Table of ContentsTop of FormBottom of FormSpeed ​​and VelocityRocket Physics – Equations of MotionA space shuttle or rocket is certainly one of the most complex structures that can be built. You need the best engineers to build one successfully, because if something goes wrong, lives and billions of dollars will be lost. Physics comes into play here. In fact, it plays a major role in ensuring that everything is in order. Many laws of physics are used, but we will particularly focus on one important law, Newton's law of motion. There are three laws provided by Sir Isaac Newton: The first law states that a body will remain at rest or in motion in a straight line unless it is subjected to a force. The second law states that the change in motion is proportional to and parallel to the force applied. The third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay According to Newton's first law, two things are really cheap: coasting and sitting still. In space, sitting is a bit hard to define – I mean in relation to the Sun or Mars? Plus, most of the time we're in some sort of orbit, so sitting still doesn't really make sense. What we need to think about is how to go from one type of orbit to another type of orbit. Newton's third law contains the "secret" of rocket propulsion for space travel. See the figure below. If A exerts a force on B, then B exerts an equal and opposite force on A. Or, in the case of space travel, if a mass (m) of fuel is pushed out of the exhaust of a rocket, then the rocket will accelerate. in the opposite direction to the direction the exhaust fuel went. What happens to the spacecraft immediately after the rockets stop? Top of page It slows down like an airplane does here on Earth until it comes to a complete stop. However, unlike an airplane that must deal with Earth's gravity, the spacecraft will continue in the same direction as it slows down. The astronauts will only have to restart the rocket engines to continue moving forward. The spacecraft will continue to travel at the same speed and in the same direction. The spacecraft will slow down to a complete stop. Additionally, the spacecraft will veer off course as it slows down because astronauts will not be able to use the spacecraft's wing flaps to steer. Footer While the engines are running, the spacecraft accelerates. When it reaches its intended speed, the rockets are extinguished. This means that it is now in some sort of orbit around the Earth or around the Sun. It will remain in this orbit until its rockets are fired again. Its speed will be constant except for the very slow changes that are part of its orbital motion. Having answered the question above, you should now find that freewheeling travel, due to Newton's first law, is a vitally important aspect of space travel. The reason this is the case is that it means astronauts only have to fire up their engines for a brief period and then head to a planet. But what happens when they arrive on a planet? If they don't slow down, they could crash their ship into the planet. The simple answer to the last question is that a spacecraft must use fuel to slow down as well as to speed up. When a spaceship moves forward, using..