Orbital Mechanics
Orbital Mechanics
How Well I Understand Orbital Mechanics: [There is a graph with the x-axis labeled as 'time' increasing to the right. The y-axis is unlabeled but it can be assumed that it could be labeled 'understanding'.] The line stays flat until the first bump, which is annotated "Took High School Physics". The line decreases, then grows to a higher maximum with the annotation "Got Physics Degree". There is a small amount of decrease until a gradual bump in the graph labeled "Actual Job At NASA". It gradually decreases to pre-NASA levels, but then begins to increase exponentially. The annotation reads "Started Playing Kerbal Space Program".

Randall roughly plots how high school physics, undergraduate-level physics and a job at NASA somewhat increased his knowledge of orbital mechanics . But this learning was apparently nothing compared to the "direct" experience of playing Kerbal Space Program , a rocket building and piloting sandbox game .
Orbital mechanics can be somewhat counterintuitive. The art of changing orbits involves relative velocities, positions, and times in complex interactions. As soon as you try deviating from a perfectly regular orbit, or start having to deal with N-body problems and orbital resonances , you have to coordinate your movements in possibly counterintuitive ways. One example is that if you want to reach an object ahead of you, on the same orbit, you actually have to 'brake' to reach a lower orbit. Once at that lower orbit, your angular velocity is faster, and you can start to overtake your target. After that manoeuver, you then have to accelerate to increase your orbital altitude again, which will end up reducing your angular speed so that you intercept your target.
At the title text Randall admits that at the time when he did work at NASA he was not involved in orbital mechanics—which is also true for most other NASA employees—but everybody was talking about this which in the end did increase his knowledge a little, as can be seen in the curve after the Job at NASA arrow.
How Well I Understand Orbital Mechanics: [There is a graph with the x-axis labeled as 'time' increasing to the right. The y-axis is unlabeled but it can be assumed that it could be labeled 'understanding'.] The line stays flat until the first bump, which is annotated "Took High School Physics". The line decreases, then grows to a higher maximum with the annotation "Got Physics Degree". There is a small amount of decrease until a gradual bump in the graph labeled "Actual Job At NASA". It gradually decreases to pre-NASA levels, but then begins to increase exponentially. The annotation reads "Started Playing Kerbal Space Program".
