3 minute read - What's in a name? More than you might think. KMI's first spacecraft needed a title that not only symbolized its mission but also paid homage to the myths of old. After much debate, we landed on "Laelaps"—a name rooted in Greek legend. But what does a mythic hound, destined to catch everything it chases, have to do with space?
5 minute read - Do you have burning questions about all things space? In this series, Corinne Moore answers common questions about this mysterious environment and welcomes your submissions for questions to be answered in the next issue. Contact us at questions@kallmorris.com and you just might see your question featured in our next issue.
7 minute read - Today we begin our journey on what is currently the last planned installment in the Space Terms series. In this entry we will look at how objects in space move through their orbits and how those orbits can be changed by executing different spacecraft maneuvers. We will also get into some of the specific terms that cross my mind and desk daily as we theorize and work with others in planning the future of humanity in space.
7 minute read - In previous installments of this series, I have briefly touched on Keplerian elements such as inclination and eccentricity of orbits, but have avoided diving deep into them. The time has now come to rectify that, as we try to begin comprehending the six Keplerian elements (named after Johannes Kepler) and how they define an orbit.
5 minute read - Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to lay to rest any and all ignorance you may have ever had regarding jargon terms and acronyms used in the aerospace industry. Jokes aside, I intend for this installment to be a bit shorter than the previous, in the futile hope that it will make this one easier to digest. For those who read the entirety of the first two installments in the Space Terms series, I salute you. For those who finished those columns, saw this column, and then had the audacity to open it up and give it a read, I thank you. Today we take another step on our journey of understanding the complex terms that define science and technology in the aerospace industry.
6 minute read - Space is big. As Douglas Adams put it so eloquently in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, space is really, really big. So let’s not talk about all of space right now, let’s just talk about the orbit of the Earth, which is still big. Let’s break it down and try to understand the different sections of Earth orbit and how they all play into the way that a satellite orbits.
6 minute read - If you’re reading this, you should know that I am going to miss something. This article is going to cover a lot, but it is pretty unlikely that it’ll cover everything. However, I’m hoping that this guide will be a good starting point for anyone who is trying to understand the concept of space and orbit but is getting buried in the specialized terms and acronyms and needs a little bit of help wading through the weeds.
