If you haven’t heard the first true sequel to Rovio’s smash hit Angry Birds is coming later this month, you must have been hiding inside a exogorth. To explain the physics behind the new Angry Birds Space, Rovio employed the assistance of someone who ought to know: NASA astronaut Don Pettit, currently living on the International Space Station. With the help of an Angry Birds keychain, a green balloon, a bungie cord and no gravity, he explains some of the features we’re likely to see in Angry Birds Space when it launches on March 22nd.

Most people don’t need a practical example of how the Angry Birds slingshot mechanic works, or how a lack of planetary gravity would affect its trajectory – or more accurately, how it wouldn’t affect the trajectory. But there’s an interesting demonstration of how other bodies will affect the flight of an aggravated avian after it’s launched. Apparently in the new game players will have to contend with gravitational fields from other nearby bodies in order to strike at the pigs. We can also hope for some rocket thrusters or jetpacks, which as every Star Wars geek knows, make everything better.

Check out the video below:

The latest video does seem to suggest that Rovio is very committed to educating players while they bust pigs, as does their partnership with National Geographic. We finally get to check out the actual gameplay at the end of the video, and indeed, gravity fields (along with ice birds and rockets) play a big part in the space-based action. Angry Birds Space hits the Google Play Store on March 22nd, and no, you don’t need a Samsung Galaxy Note for the free download.

[via SlashGear]