Leave it to Mr. Wizard, a.k.a. astronaut Don Pettit on board the International Space Station, to give a detailed demonstration to explain how physics works in space, including demonstrating trajectories in microgravity by catapulting an Angry Bird through the space station. The video coincides with the release of a new Angry Birds game, “Angry Birds Space,” and the game’s developers have incorporated concepts of human space exploration into the new game to provide a little education along with the latest version of the popular time-waster game, which was produced in cooperation with NASA. From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, players can use physics as they explore the various levels of the game set both on planets and in microgravity.
For more information on microgravity, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/microgravity
For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/microgravity
For more information about Angry Birds Space, visit: http://www.angrybirds.com/space
Isn’t the trajectory of the launched angry bird a curved path following the curved path of the ISS’s orbital trajectory as both “fall” around the Earth?
Depends what frame of reference you’re using… and it’s best to use one that keeps things simple when you’re trying to explain dynamics 😉
Gotcha…simple is good.