Apollo 8 orbit

[Ian Pearse]

Feb 6, 2010 11:38:48 GMT -4 PeterB said:

Feb 4, 2010 14:57:20 GMT -4 Jason said:

Anyone who grew up playing Asteroids knows that the orientation of your spacecraft can be completely different from its direction of travel.

Never mind a computer game from decades ago...

I experience this every time I go shopping with Alexander (please note, currently aged two and a bit). As I push the shopping trolley down the aisle, he loves it when I give the trolley a sideways twist so that it completes a 360 degree yaw even as it continues down the aisle. When I do it right, the trolley's handlebar comes straight back into my hands as I walk behind it.

The problem with this manoeuvre is if you are unfortunate enough to pick the trolley with the dodgy castor.... which locks part-way through the rotation... very nasty