Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparrow
I think NASA made use of Newton's gravitational theories in planning missions into space - but Newton was wrong (e.g. the orbit of Mercury contradicts his theory's predictions).
For NASA, Newtonian physics was good enough - even though it was known to be untrue.
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It's my understanding that Newton's Theory of Gravity is so accurate in it's predictions that it's still used for spaceflight. If we ever become an interstellar species, the greater accuracy of Einstein's Theory will prove invaluable, but for playing around in our own backyard, Newton's the guy. That isn't to say that Relativity never comes into play. GPS systems, for example, would quickly get out of whack if it's effects weren't taken into account.