DISPATCHES

The math behind the mission

Short, accurate field notes on the mathematics and physics of spaceflight — written the way we teach: real numbers, no hand-waving.

A Day on Mars Is 39 Minutes Too Long

Live by an Earth clock on Mars and within three weeks you are eating breakfast at sunset. The math of the sol.

Why Almost All of a Rocket Is Fuel

Look at a rocket on the pad and you are mostly looking at a tank. A logarithm is the reason.

Why a Trip to Mars Waits for a Door That Opens Every 26 Months

Miss the window and a finished, billion-dollar spacecraft sits in a clean room for two years. Here is why the door is so narrow.

The Math Mistake That Burned Up a Mars Orbiter

It did not fail from a cracked weld or a dead battery. It failed because pound-force met newton, and nobody noticed.

Why the First Martians Will Be Nuclear Engineers

Half the sunlight, dust storms that black out the sky for weeks, and a to-do list that can never pause. On Mars, the atom is not an option — it is the plan.

What Math Do You Actually Need to Fly a Spacecraft?

You do not need "all of math." You need a specific chain of it, in a specific order. Here is the chain.

How High Can You Jump on Mars? (The Math, Done Properly)

The popular answer is "three times higher." The real answer is 2.64× — and the catch is your spacesuit.