Mechanics

On July 20, 1969 at 3.18 P.M. Houston time, as 600 Million people watched, the lunar lander come to rest on the moon and NASA succeeded in its mission of landing a man on the moon. A short while later, as the world watched Neil Armstrong take his first step onto the moon, those same NASA engineers cheered: "That's one small step for man,” Armstrong intoned, ”one giant leap for Mankind". It was a historic moment made possible by the historic universal gravity equations of Sir Isaac Newton. NASA scientists applied Newton's equation to three objects simultaneously – earth, moon and spaceship – a three body problem and calculated the safest and cheapest way to reach the moon and back along a route shaped like a figure – eight which is the most simple and optimal path. Any other shape, was either more dangerous or more wasteful of rocket fuel. Further this simple trajectory ensured safe return to earth in case the mission is to be aborted at the last moment. Newton's equation predicted, no fuel would be required, as the moon's gravitational pull would automatically sling the spaceship around and on to the return leg the figure – eight. Explore the science of Mechanics to know more about – Motion and Laws of Motion, Energy and its Transformations Here