SpaceX’s Rocket Explained So Simply A Kid Could Understand

Rocket science is difficult stuff, but we don’t always necessarily have to explain it that way. It’s important at times to break science down as simply as we can, for purposes ranging from simple understanding to making it accessible to children.

A couple of days ago, SpaceX posted a brilliant parody of a famous xkcd cartoon to describe the organization’s Falcon 9 rocket. Called “Bird 9”, it describes the components of the rocket using only the words that are used most often in speech.

The result is brilliant, with the top of the rocket called “stuff going into space” and the rocket stage aiming for a drone landing soon nicknamed “part that folds out when the first part is just above the big boat”. We won’t spoil any more for you; click on the infographic below so you can see it in its full glory. We’ve also included the original xkcd cartoon for reference.

Full SpaceX infographic of Falcon 9 called “Bird 9”, a parody of the xkcd cartoon “Up Goer Five.” Click for full image. Credit: SpaceX/Twitter/Imgur
xkcd’s “Up Goer Five.” Credit: xkcd
Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell is the senior writer at Universe Today. She also works for Space.com, Space Exploration Network, the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Astrobiology Magazine and LiveScience, among others. Career highlights include watching three shuttle launches, and going on a two-week simulated Mars expedition in rural Utah. You can follow her on Twitter @howellspace or contact her at her website.

Recent Posts

Is Intelligent Life Inevitable?

Biologists identified a series of "hard steps" on the journey from abiogenesis - that life…

6 hours ago

Webb Space Telescope Tracks Fireworks Around Our Galaxy’s Black Hole

The supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy may not be…

8 hours ago

What Would Actual Scientific Study of UAPs Look Like?

For those who missed the memo, UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are now called UAPs (Unidentified…

8 hours ago

This Ancient Galaxy Cluster is Still Forming Stars When it Should be ‘Red and Dead’

The Phoenix Cluster is one of the most massive galaxy clusters known. Astronomers have identified…

11 hours ago

A Spiral Structure in the Inner Oort Cloud

We typically think of the Oort cloud as scattered ice balls floating far from the…

12 hours ago

Liquid Mirrors Can Only Point Straight Up. Could Magnets Solve This Problem?

Astronomers have developed several versions of rotating liquid metal telescopes, which use the force of…

14 hours ago