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Flying the Shuttle - Launch: Difference between revisions
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Finally, somewhat counter-intuitively, the spacecraft gains most of its kinetic energy in the last stages of the ascent. This can be understood in many different ways. One is to realize that initially propellant only has chemical energy, | Finally, somewhat counter-intuitively, the spacecraft gains most of its kinetic energy in the last stages of the ascent. This can be understood in many different ways. One is to realize that initially propellant only has chemical energy, whereas in the late stages it has been accelerated, and so it has in addition kinetic energy which is released once it is used. | ||
The implication is that during the first part of a launch, it is not necessary to keep the launch course very precisely, the inclination is mainly fixed in the last part of the launch. It is thus sufficient to correct launch course outside the atmosphere if the initial course is wrong. | |||
== How it feels in FG == | == How it feels in FG == | ||