A Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator

Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator

Image of the Simulator

ART CENTER AT NIGHT COURSE: BASICS OF INTERPLANETARY FLIGHT

Among the many topics addressed in the Course is the Gravity Assist technique which permits a spacecraft to navigate extraordinary distances though the solar system using very little of its own propellant. The trick is to fly by a planet in such a way as to make a trade in momentum: slow down the planet a little, and gain a substantial kick for your spacecraft. The technique has also been called the slingshot effect. Many interplanetary craft are plying the solar system today thanks to the advantage Gravity Assist provides.
The Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator is a unique educational invention. It makes the technique's physics intuitively and clearly understandable, in a fun way. The participant grasps the subtleties of the technique's orbital mechanics by controlling, hands-on, the flight of a simulated spacecraft past a revolving Jupiter, gaining a "free" kick, out to the orbit of Saturn. Magnetism substitutes for gravitation during the "Gravity" Assist. Course materials and discussion elaborate on the technique, employing vector diagrams. The device's intended audience, and its specific educational objectives, are enumerated here.
This narrated 3-minute QuickTime VIDEO (15mb) highlights details of the hardware, and shows it in use, and in context.

The Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator was created under an Art Center College of Design Faculty Council Stipend during the summer of 2006 by Dave Doody, ACAN Product, Transportation, and Environmental Design Department. Special thanks go to Victor White and Mitch Scaff for critical design inputs, and to Jane Houston Jones for demonstrating its operation.
UPDATED 20 DEC 2006

Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator ART CENTER AT NIGHT COURSE: BASICS OF INTERPLANETARY FLIGHT
	Among the many topics addressed in the Course is the Gravity Assist technique which permits a spacecraft to navigate extraordinary distances though the solar system using very little of its own propellant. The trick is to fly by a planet in such a way as to make a trade in momentum: slow down the planet a little, and gain a substantial kick for your spacecraft. The technique has also been called the slingshot effect. Many interplanetary craft are plying the solar system today thanks to the advantage Gravity Assist provides. The Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator is a unique educational invention. It makes the technique's physics intuitively and clearly understandable, in a fun way. The participant grasps the subtleties of the technique's orbital mechanics by controlling, hands-on, the flight of a simulated spacecraft past a revolving Jupiter, gaining a "free" kick, out to the orbit of Saturn. Magnetism substitutes for gravitation during the "Gravity" Assist. Course materials and discussion elaborate on the technique, employing vector diagrams. The device's intended audience, and its specific educational objectives, are enumerated here. This narrated 3-minute QuickTime VIDEO (15mb) highlights details of the hardware, and shows it in use, and in context. The Gravity Assist Mechanical Simulator was created under an Art Center College of Design Faculty Council Stipend during the summer of 2006 by Dave Doody, ACAN Product, Transportation, and Environmental Design Department. Special thanks go to Victor White and Mitch Scaff for critical design inputs, and to Jane Houston Jones for demonstrating its operation. UPDATED 20 DEC 2006