In movies at least, astronauts in desperate times have mentioned that unless they get to a certain angle or re-entry window, they would bounce off the atmosphere into space. What’s the science behind that? What conditions have to be perfect for re-entry and why?
In: Physics
you don’t normally think of bouncing off water, but if you throw a rock at the right angle and velocity it bounces of the surface of the water. Air and water behave the same in this regard, it just requires greater velocity to achieve the “skip”.
Latest Answers