![Four Harvard training aircraft](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2021-12/harvards.jpg?itok=54yNGDe_)
How Planes Fly
Backgrounders
Learn about what gets planes up in the air, what keeps them up there, and what brings them down again.
![Image showing the physics of flight on a drone.](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2021-02/Forces_of_flight_on_a_drone_1.png?itok=UsnLkNCm)
Resources on Physics and Aerospace
STEM Explained
Resource page including articles and career profiles related to physics and aerospace.
![Eric testing an optical illusion](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-09/Eric_optical_illusion.jpg?itok=8a9j2V7A)
ScienceXplosion - Optical Illusion, My Eye
Interactives
On this episode of ScienceXplosion, Eric learns how our brain connects separate images together to create the illusion of movement. It's not magic, it's science!
![Pitcher holding a baseball](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-02/pitcher-holding-a-baseball.jpg?itok=Q-P2jehX)
Why Do Curveballs Curve?
STEM Explained
Bernoulli’s equation is key to understanding why curveballs curve.
![Mars Science Laboratory Parachute Qualification Testing](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/Mars_science_lab_parachute_testing.jpg?itok=Ly8xx3i5)
Testing Parachutes for Mars
STEM Explained
NASA engineers apply kinematics and dynamics to test parachutes designed specifically to help space probes land safely using aerodynamics.
![Space junk](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-10/space-junk-orbiting-earth.jpg?itok=nA6-Kgmi)
Space Junk
STEM Explained
Litter isn't just a problem on Earth. When litter ends up in space, it can cause collisions and other consequences for satellites, the International Space Station and even for people on Earth!
![How can I build a rollercoaster?](/sites/default/files/2019-08/how-can-i-build-a-roller-coaster.jpg)
How can I build a rollercoaster?
Hands-on Activities
Try your hand at building a “super coaster” using materials around your home.
![How can I make a bottle rocket?](/sites/default/files/2019-08/how-can-i-make-a-bottle-rocket.jpg)
How can I make a bottle rocket?
Hands-on Activities
Use a pop bottle and other everyday materials to create a rocket that you can launch outdoors.
![Woodpecker on a tree](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-10/woodpecker-in-the-snow.jpg?itok=WmWgTEIl)
Do Woodpeckers Get Concussions?
STEM Explained
Pecking puts a lot of force on a woodpecker’s brain. But scientists think woodpecker bodies are adapted to help keep them from being injured during pecking-related collisions.
![Artist’s conception of NASA’s Space Launch System](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2019-09/NASA%27s_space_launch_system.jpg?itok=8GvpYCDs)
Escape Velocity
STEM Explained
Why do a baseball and a rocket need the same launch speed to get from Earth into space? It has to do with physics and gravitational force.
![Billiard balls and a cue stick on a felt-covered table (PIRO4D, Pixabay)](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_card_image_360x300_/public/2020-03/Billiard_balls_and_stick.jpg?itok=eHUZkzLE)
Billiards and Collisions
STEM Explained
The game of billiards shows the principles of collisions, momentum & impulse, and kinetics at work!
![Brittany Marchand | Professional Golfer LPGA Brittany Marchand | Golfeuse professionnelle LPGA](/sites/default/files/styles/career_image/public/6275_13.jpg?itok=_xZegvat)
Brittany Marchand
Career Profiles
Professional Golfer