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Tag Archives: physics
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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The Road Not Taken — A Reflection on the Quantum Self
I had an interesting conversation with a friend recently about the road not taken, in the spirit of Robert Frost’s famous poem. We talked about the turns that change a life, not the trivial ones, not “Store A versus Store … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy
Tagged academia, alternate history, multiverse, philosophy, physics, Schrödinger’s Cat, science, tenure, what if?
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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, 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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