How do spaceships know where to land?

Answer by C Stuart Hardwick, award-winning science fiction author, on Quora: Spacecraft landing points are selected and orchestrated using what the US military calls (sensibly enough) backwards planning. You start with the desired endpoint, then back out all the operations and timings needed to get you there.

How does the space shuttle know where to go?

The orbiter must be able to know precisely where it is in space, where other objects are and how to change orbit. To know where it is and how fast it is moving, the orbiter uses global positioning systems (GPS). To know which way it is pointing (attitude), the orbiter has several gyroscopes.

How do we determine location in space?

Using a process called Optical Navigation or OpNav, pictures are taken of particular asteroids. The asteroids’ location relative to the spacecraft are used to determine position, and the position is compared to where the ship should be. At that point the ship can do a course correction.

How do satellites get into space?

All satellites today get into orbit by riding on a rocket or by riding in the cargo bay of a space shuttle. For most satellite launches, the scheduled launch rocket is aimed straight up at first. This gets the rocket through the thickest part of the atmosphere most quickly and best minimizes fuel consumption.

How does a spacecraft work in space?

The simple act of accelerating something in a particular direction (the rifle bullet or hot gases from a rocket exhaust) creates an equal force acting in the opposite direction (Newton’s 3rd law). This reaction is what propels a spaceship upwards or through space, regardless of the presence of ground or atmosphere.

How do spacecraft navigate in space?

Such a spacecraft navigates using precisely timed radio signals sent back and forth to Earth. Navigators on Earth track its location and speed and transmit course adjustments. These techniques allow navigators to guide a probe to a planetary rendezvous or a pinpoint landing.

What describes the location of an object in space?

The location in space and time of an entity is its spacetime coordinates.

How does a spacecraft work?

The launch of a spacecraft comprises a period of powered flight during which the vehicle rises above Earth’s atmosphere and accelerates at least to orbital velocity. Powered flight ends when the rocket’s last stage burns out, and the spacecraft separates and continues in freefall.

How is a spacecraft controlled?

The MCS controls the spacecraft by sending it telecommands, which are in effect instructions to the spacecraft. An MCS thus operates on the same principles as a process control system, in which the process is monitored via readouts from sensors and controlled via commands to the process.