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Astronomycast, episode 84, from Monday, April 14, 2008, getting around the solar system.

Welcome to Astronomycast, our weekly facts-based journey through the cosmos, where we help you understand not only what we know, but how we know what we know.

My name is Fraser Cain, I'm the publisher of Universe Today, and with me is Dr. Pamela Gay, a professor at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.

Hey Pamela!

Hey Fraser, how's it going?

Good, how's Europe?

I don't know yet, because we're cheating and recording this before I leave.

Oh, this joke never gets old.

Yeah, so once again, we've booked a bunch in advance, and so I think where are you right now then?

Right now, I am probably over the Atlantic Ocean on my way home.

Okay, then you had a good time at the pub with the Mini Astronomycast meet-up in the UK.

Yes, exactly.

Wonderful, good.

Alright, so let's get on to this week's show.

Now, have you ever wondered what it takes to get a spacecraft off the earth and into space?

And what are orbits?

How does that work?

What's it been through to polar and an equatorial orbit?

And how do managers at NASA actually navigate a spacecraft to another planet have the solar system away?

And how does it- these gravity assists?

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