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Tag Archives: gravity
Gravity Didn’t Turn Off (and sadly, neither did the internet)
I recently met up with a friend for lunch to catch up. He mocked me. “It didn’t fail,” he said, struggling to contain himself. “What didn’t fail?” I asked. “Gravity. It didn’t turn off.” Then he laughed uncontrollably. This was … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Science
Tagged Albert Einstein, August 12, conspiracy theory, Erwin Schrödinger, general relativity, geodesic, gravity, Isaac Newton, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Philipp von Jolly, physics, relativity, Richard Feynman, science, spacetime, Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli
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Riding the Invisible Currents of Gravity
After exploring why gravity doesn’t “turn off” and why astronauts in low Earth orbit are really just falling forever, we can finally follow that idea to its natural conclusion: what happens when you keep falling all the way to the … Continue reading
Posted in Science, Technology
Tagged Artemis II, Christina Koch, Earth, equi-gravis, falling, free-return trajectory, gravity, Jeremy Hansen, Lagrange points, Mars, Moon, orbital mechanics, physics, Reid Wiseman, rocketry, science, space travel, three-body problem, translunar trajectory, Victor Glover, weightlessness
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Falling Forever: Why 200 Miles Up Feels Like Zero Gravity
After I wrote about losing gravity, I was asked a great follow-up question: if the Earth is a massive object warping the fabric of spacetime and pulling everything toward it, why do astronauts appear like they’re floating in a giant … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged acceleration, artificial gravity, centrifugal force, Earth, freefall, general relativity, generational spacecraft, geodesic, Gravitron, gravity, International Space Station, Low Earth Orbit, mass, NASA, orbit, orbital mechanics, physics, relativity, science, spacetime, Sun, Vomit Comet, weight, weightlessness
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Gravity Doesn’t Have an “Off” Switch (and, sadly, neither do conspiracy theorists)
I don’t spend a ton of time on social media. I have actual work to do and, quite frankly, my tolerance for the digital equivalent of “prospecting for gold in a septic tank” is at an all-time low. Most of … Continue reading
Posted in Science
Tagged Albert Einstein, August 12, conspiracy theory, general relativity, gravity, physics, relativity, science, spacetime
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“Shatterproof”, My Glass!
When Gorilla Glass Meets the Rock of Reality It was a day like any other, if your “any other” involves crawling through tight spaces in service of search and rescue. (Yes, that again. It’s kind of my thing.) On April … Continue reading
Posted in Humor, Technology
Tagged Corning, Gorilla Glass, gravity, Murphy's Law, physics, smartphone
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Crossing the Edge
In addition to my day job, I also volunteer on search and rescue. Generally, that means I don’t sleep during the day or during the night, but chronic insomnia aside, search and rescue can be very demanding (and rewarding) when … Continue reading
Posted in Search and Rescue
Tagged climbing, gravity, search and rescue, training, volunteering
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