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Angular Momentum, Inertia and the Tethered Satellite
Students demonstrate angular momentum on a spinning apparatus similar to a playground merry-go-round

The information in this video was accurate as of the original publication date.

Audience: Educators and Students
Grades: 9-12
Year: 1995


This NASA video segment explains how the concept of angular momentum applies to the deployment of a tethered satellite in space. Astronauts on board the space shuttle Atlantis explain that the length of the tether determines how the satellite moves with respect to the orbiter. Demonstrations on land accompany the explanations.

Angular Momentum, Inertia and the Tethered Satellite
Duration: 3 minutes 24 seconds
> View QuickTime [11MB]


This video clip is part of the Liftoff to Learning: Tethered Satellite: A Videotape for Physics and Physical Science DVD that may be ordered from the Central Operation of Resources for Educators, or CORE  →.


Other video learning clips in this series:
Gravity and the Tethered Satellite
The Center of Mass of an Object: On Land and in Space
Explaining the Coriolis Effect on the Tethered Satellite
How Tethered Technology Is Used in Scientific Research
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