ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="javascript/s_code.js"></script> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"><!-- var s_code=s.t();if(s_code)document.write(s_code)//--></script> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <meta name="description" content="Participants will identify the range of concepts associated with robotic interplanetary space flight and grasp how they relate to one another."> <meta name="keywords" content="Space, Space Basics, Space Flight, Basics, Interplanetary Space, Interplanetary Space Flight, spaceflight, Solar System, Motions, Distances, Sun, Heliosphere, Terrestrial Planets, Jovian Planets, Satellites, Phases of Illumination, Conjunction, Transit, Occultation, Near Earth Objects, Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids, Meteors, Meteorites, Reference Systems, Coordinates, Precession, Nutation, Revolution, Epochs, Celestial Sphere, Declination, Right Ascension, Time Conventions, Gravity, Mechanics, Gravitation, Newton's Principles, Acceleration, Non-Newtonian Physics, Kepler's Laws, Gravity Gradients, Tidal Forces, Periapsis, Apoapsis, Freefall, Hohmann Transfer, Gravity Assist, Trajectory, Ion Engine, Orbital Parameters, Orbital Elements, Geosynchronous, Geostationary, Walking Orbits, Sun Synchronous Orbits, Lagrange points, Electromagnetic Radiation, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Spectroscopy, Doppler, Refraction, Phase, Experiments, Scientific Community, Science data, Engineering Data, Radio Science, Solar Conjunction, Gravitational Waves, Celestial Mechanics, Flyby Spacecraft, Orbiter Spacecraft, Atmospheric Spacecraft, Lander Spacecraft, Penetrator Spacecraft, Rover Spacecraft, Observatory Spacecraft, Transmitters, Receivers, Uplink, Downlink, Phase Lock, Coherence, Modulation, Demodulation, Carrier, Subcarrier, Beacons, Symbols, Coding, Multiplexing, Telemetry, Fault Protection, Safing, Attitude and Articulation Control, Celestial Reference, Inertial Reference, Telecommunications, High-Gain Antenna, Low-Gain Antenna, Medium-gain Antenna, Photovoltaics, Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators, Temperature Control, Mechanical Devices, Direct sensing, Remote sensing, Spectrometers, Navigation, Orbit Determination, Launch Vehicles, Gravity Field Surveying, Atmospheric Entry, Aerobraking, Deep Space Network, Telemetry, Command, Very Long Baseline Interferometry rocket, reaction mass, thrust, specific impulse, water bottle rocket, de laval nozzle, goddard"> <meta name="Date" content="2012 April 9"> <meta name="Author" content="Dave Doody, Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory"> <title>Basics of Space Flight</title> <link href="css/main.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="css/print.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print"/> <!-- Begin RSS feed --> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="News and features stories" href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/rss/news.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Podcasts for audio and video" href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcast/podfeed.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Video in High Definition" href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/rss/podfeed-hd.xml"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="JPL Blog" href="http://blogs.jpl.nasa.gov/?feed=rss2"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Slide shows and interactive features" href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/rss/slideshows.xml"/> <!-- MAKE THIS WORK WITH BSF ICON --> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" /> <!-- End RSS feed --> </head> <body> <!-- Top Navigation Banner #wrapper_top --> <div id="wrapper_top"> <div id="top"> <div id="nav_tier_0"> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/" id="nasa" title="NASA"><i>NASA</i></a> <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov" id="jplhome0" title="JPL Home Page"><i>JPL Home</i></a> <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/" id="caltech" title="California Institute of Technology" onmouseover="Cal Tech"><i>California Institute of Technology</i></a><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mobile.cfm#bruno"><img src="images/spacer.gif" alt="Follow this link to skip to the main content" width="1" height="1" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" align="left" class="i" /></a> </div> <div id="nav_tier_1"> <ul id="tier_1"> <li class="" id="jplhome" title="jplhome"><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm" title="JPL Home">JPL Home</a></li> <li class="" id="earth"><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/earth/index.cfm" title="Earth">Earth</a></li> <li class="" id="solarsystem"><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar-system/index.cfm" title="Solar System">Solar System</a></li> <li class="" id="starsgalaxies"><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/stars-galaxies/index.cfm" title="Stars &amp; 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</td> <td width="130" align="left" valign ="top" background="column1.gif"> <p> <br><br> <font color="#11119F"> <b> &nbsp; <A href="editorial.php">2012 EDITION</A> <p> &nbsp; <a href="editorial.php"> <b>Editorial Page</b></a> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <p> <br> SECTION I</b><br> ENVIRONMENT <p> <a href="bsf1-1.php"> <b>1</b> The Solar System</a><br> <a href="bsf2-1.php"> <b>2</b> Reference Systems</a><br> <a href="bsf3-1.php"> <b>3</b> Gravity & Mechanics</a><br> <a href="bsf4-1.php"> <b>4</b> Trajectories<br> <a href="bsf5-1.php"> <b>5</b> Planetary Orbits</a><br> <a href="bsf6-1.php"> <b>6</b> Electromagnetics</a> <p> <br><br><br> <b>SECTION II</b><br> FLIGHT PROJECTS <p> <a href="bsf7-1.php"> <b>7</b> Mission Inception</a><br> <a href="bsf8-1.php"> <b>8</b> Experiments</a><br> <a href="bsf9-1.php"> <b>9</b> S/C Classification</a><br> <a href="bsf10-1.php"> <b>10</b> Telecom</a><br> <a href="bsf11-1.php"> <b>11</b> Onboard Systems</a><br> <a href="bsf12-1.php"> <b>12</b> Science Instruments</a><br> <a href="bsf13-1.php"> <b>13</b> Navigation</a> <p> <br><br><br> <b>SECTION III</b><br> OPERATIONS <p> <a href="bsf14-1.php"> <b>14</b> Launch</a><br> <a href="bsf15-1.php"> <b>15</b> Cruise</a><br> <a href="bsf16-1.php"> <b>16</b> Encounter</a><br> <a href="bsf17-1.php"> <b>17</b> Extended Ops</a><br> <a href="bsf18-1.php"> <b>18</b> Deep Space Network</a><br> <p> <br><br><br> <center> <A href="BasicsSpaceFlt2.php"><img src="newPDFthumbnail.jpg" width="80" height="101" alt="Download PDF" border="0"></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br> <font size="1"><A href="BasicsSpaceFlt2.php">DOWNLOAD PDF</A></font> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> </font> <p> <br> <form METHOD=GET ACTION="http://basics.jpl.nasa.gov.master.com/texis/master/search/"> <LABEL FOR="searchbsf"><input TYPE=hidden NAME=s VALUE=SS></LABEL> <input type="text" name="q" value="" size="16" id="searchbsf" maxlength="200" title="searchfield"> <p> <input TYPE=submit VALUE="SEARCH BSF"> </form> </center> <br><br><br> </td> <a name="content"></a> <td width="20" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">&nbsp; </td> <td width="989" align="left" valign="top"> <p><br> <center> <img src="splash3.gif" alt="splash image" width="436" height="239" border="0"> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </center> <p> <table border="0" cellpadding="8"cellspaceing={8"><tr><td> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; <font size="5">T</font>he people of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory create, manage, and operate NASA projects of exploration throughout our solar system and beyond. <p> <u>Basics of Space Flight</u> is a tutorial designed primarily to help operations people identify the range of concepts associated with deep space missions, and grasp the relationships among them. It also enjoys popularity with college and high-school students and faculty, and people everywhere who are interested in interplanetary space flight. </p> This website attempts to offer a broad scope, but limited depth, as a robust framework to accommodate further training or investigation. Many other resources are available for delving into each of the topics related here; indeed, any one of them can involve a lifelong career of specialization. This module's purpose is met if the participant learns the scope of concepts that apply to interplanetary space exploration, and how the relationships among all of them work. <p> <u>Basics of Space Flight</u> is intended to be used online via the worldwide web (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics). Links to external sites provide further depth to many topics. There are interactive quizzes to let you check your own progress. No records are kept, nor does Caltech offer academic credit for this training. </p> <p> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<font size="4">I</font>nterplanetary exploration begins . . . </p> </td> <td> <A href="madr.gif" target="blank"><img src="madrTN.gif" width="144" height="144" border="0"><p> <A href="oDop.gif" target="blank"><img src="oDopTN.gif" width="144" height="144" border="0"><p> <A href="wise.gif" target="blank"><img src="wiseTN.gif" width="144" height="144" border="0"><p> <td> </tr> </table> <br> <center> <table border="0"> <tr> <td valign="middle"> <a href="guide.php"><b>NEXT PAGE</b></a> </td> <td valign="middle"> <a href="guide.php"><img src="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/next.gif" border="0" width="36" height="34" alt="next page"></a> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </td> <td width="40">&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <a href="#content"><img src="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="Skip Navigation"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <!-- Main Content Ends Here --> <div class="clear"></div> <!-- end #wrapper_middle_2 --> <!-- Begin Footer --> <div id="wrapper_bottom"> <!-- Footer, Only Parts that can be modified are indicated --> <div id="footer"> <div class="usa_gov">&nbsp;</div> <div class="footer_credits" style="margin-top:15px;"> <!-- This Line is Modifiable --> <p>Site Manager: Dave Doody<br /> Webmaster: Diane Fisher</p> </div> <div class="footer_nav"><p><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/copyrights.cfm">PRIVACY</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/imagepolicy/">IMAGE POLICY</a></p> </div><div class="clear"></div> </div></div></div> <!-- end #footer --> </body> </html>