Launch vehicle dynamics are very complicated due to forces acting on the system and the different regimes the vehicle undergoes during flight. However, as a first attempt to understand and model the dynamics, one can rely on first principles.Newton's laws describe the motion of a variable mass system where momentum is exchanged between the rocket and the propellant expelled at high velocity. In this post, I will try to explain how rockets fly from a simplified perspective.
Understanding orientation in 3D space is fundamental for scientists and engineers. How would it be possible to control an aircraft, rocket or spacecraft without defining their orientation precisely? Unlike the 2D case, description of orientations in space becomes involved and harder to visualize. The purpose of this post is to introduce different ways to describe orientations in space and make complicated concepts easier to understand through basic math and animations.
