[Montana_Sam]

I was in highschool in the late 1960’s, and stories of Goddard’s team losing rocket after rocket were still main-stream rocket science. Your claim to be able to solve the multi-body equations Ms. Johnson would have had to do just struck me as quite a ... feat.

[ml/nj]

Your claim to be able to solve the multi-body equations Ms. Johnson would have had to do just struck me as quite a ... feat.

A) I didn't claim that; and

B) She didn't solve any multi-body equations so far as I can tell. (Two is not considered multi-body.)

The real problem is figuring out the effect of atmospheric drag; and from what I can tell they had data upon which to build their model.

Papers that include statements like:

for small angles x:

sin x = x
cos x = 1

... aren't real mathematical papers. They're intended to impress the unwashed.

ML/NJ