How It Works

HOW TO FLY A SPACECRAFT

Humans have been flying into space since 1961. Back then, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was launched on a short trip into space lasting just 108 minutes in an automated spacecraft called Vostok 1. Unsure how humans would cope with the rigours of spaceflight, engineers designed the spacecraft to need no human input – Gagarin was simply a passenger from

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from How It Works

How It Works2 min readChemistry
The Power Of Thermite
Thermite is one of the most dangerous chemical reactions humans have conceived of. Created when aluminium powder is mixed with a metal oxide, typically iron oxide, and ignited, the two metals erupt in a violent burst of light and intense heat. This v
How It Works12 min read
Global Eye
More than a trillion cicadas could emerge throughout the Midwest and Southeast of the US this spring, as the schedules of two separate broods align for the first time since 1803. Brood XIII and Brood XIX represent two distinct groups of periodical ci
How It Works3 min readChemistry
When Rockets Lift Off, Why Do Fragments Of What Looks Like Ice Fall Off?
Some rockets use a combination of super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as their fuel. This fuel is much colder than the temperature of the air surrounding the rocket, and the difference causes water vapour in the air to condense on the outs

Related Books & Audiobooks