I actually have some important things to do. However, I thought I would make another scratch program. Yes, this will all lead to something useful (that is what I told my wife). Anyway, in this program, I made a spaceship with 4 thrusters. The great thing about this is it show what forces do to the motion of an object. I already had a suggestion to make it into a game with a score. Learn more about this project Use the arrow keys to turn on the 4 thrusters.
Rhett Allain is an associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He enjoys teaching and talking about physics. Sometimes he takes things apart and can't put them back together. ... Read More
Topicsphysics
How Can Astronauts Tell How Fast They’re Going?
Weirdly, spaceships have no direct way to gauge their own speed. Luckily, we can use some physics tricks to figure it out.
Rhett Allain
Dark Matter May Be Made of Black Holes From Another Universe
A model of the cyclic universe suggests that dark matter could be a population of black holes predating the Big Bang.
Jorge Garay
The ‘Lonely Runner’ Problem Only Appears Simple
Take a group of runners circling a track at unique, constant paces. Answering the question of how many will always end up running alone, no matter their speed, has vexed mathematicians for decades.
Paulina Rowińska
One Way or Another, Most of Our Electricity Comes From Solar Power
That’s good news, since the forecast is sunshine for the next 5 billion years.
Rhett Allain
The Trajectory of the Artemis II Moon Mission Is a Feat of Engineering
The astronauts will arrive about 10,300 kilometers beyond our satellite, breaking all previous records for distance from Earth. But how was their route chosen?
Luca Nardi
Artemis II Astronauts Witnessed 6 Meteorites Colliding With the Moon
The moon gets hit by space debris all the time, but some of it is so large that the impact generates light that can be seen thousands of kilometers away.
Jorge Garay
The Future of the Artemis Program Is Riding on Reentry
Entire space programs have been canceled after a failure in the reentry phase. In the final test for Artemis II, astronauts will travel at 32 times the speed of sound as they return from the moon.
Jorge Garay
NASA Wants to Put Nuclear Reactors on the Moon
The White House has announced that NASA will work with the Departments of Defense and Energy to put nuclear reactors in orbit and on the surface of the moon.
Jorge Garay
Even Artemis II Astronauts Have Microsoft Outlook Problems
The mission commander’s email inbox failed during the journey to the moon. Have they tried turning the computer off and back on again?
Jeremy White
5 Mysteries That the Artemis Missions to the Moon Could Finally Solve
The moon is not just a barren rock orbiting the Earth. The Artemis missions could answer the great unknowns that the satellite holds.
Jorge Garay
A Hot-Air Balloon Landed in a California Backyard. The Owner Says It's a 'Very Rare' Event
The CEO of Magical Adventures Balloon Rides tells WIRED how the pilot made a safe landing after they got stranded over a neighborhood.
Brian Barrett
Artemis II Mission Launches Successfully
The crew of Artemis II will not descend to the moon, but their capsule will fly over the far side of its surface.
Jorge Garay