483: Stopping in Space Astronomy Cast 483: Stopping in Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

It’s one thing to get from Earth to space, but sometimes you want to do the opposite. You want to get into orbit or touch down gently on the surface of a planet and explore it. How do spacecraft stop? And what does that even mean when everything is orbiting?

482: Alternative Ways to Space Astronomy Cast 482: Alternative Ways to Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Getting to space is all about rockets, but people are trying to figure out other methods that could carry payloads to orbit and beyond. Railguns, airplanes, tethers and more. Today we’ll talk about alternative methods of spaceflight.

481: Rockets pt. 3 – Going Faster, Higher, Farther after Fairing Separation Astronomy Cast 481: Rockets pt. 3 – Going Faster, Higher, Farther after Fairing Separation by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

We’ve seen rockets blast off from here on Earth. But that’s only half the story. Rockets have additional stages to push them into trajectories, like transfer orbits and various orbital manouvers. Let’s talk about what happens after the rocket is long gone, beyond our sight.

This was a special Q&A episode Pamela recorded while Fraser was in Iceland.

480: Rockets pt. 2- Multi-stage Boosters Astronomy Cast 480: Rockets pt. 2- Multi-stage Boosters by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

The vast majority of rockets are multi-staged affairs. Why is this? What makes this kind of rocket so successful? Today we look at the ins and outs of multi-stage rockets.

479: Rockets pt. 1- What Does “Single Stage To Orbit” Really Mean? Astronomy Cast 479: Rockets pt. 1- What Does “Single Stage To Orbit” Really Mean? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay