Why Rockets Don't Fly Straight Up
StarTalk・8 minutes read
Rockets carry their own oxidizer for combustion, solid rocket boosters can't be shut off once ignited and must burn out, and achieving orbit involves reaching a specific speed to maintain orbit without additional energy. The main engine of a space shuttle can be throttled, combining hydrogen and oxygen gases to produce water as a waste product.
Insights
- Rockets have their own oxidizer to burn fuel as they ascend due to the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere, unlike airplanes that rely on atmospheric oxygen for combustion.
- Solid rocket boosters burn from the center outward and cannot be shut off once ignited, requiring them to be clamped down until they break away upon ignition, unlike the main engine of a space shuttle that can be throttled and uses hydrogen and oxygen tanks for combustion.
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Recent questions
How do rockets differ from airplanes?
Rockets carry their own oxidizer due to lack of oxygen.
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Summary
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Rocket propulsion and achieving orbit explained.
- Rockets differ from airplanes as they carry their own oxidizer for combustion due to the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere as they ascend.
- Solid rocket boosters burn from the center outward like unraveling a toilet paper roll, with a cylindrical core of fuel burning until it runs out.
- Once ignited, solid rocket boosters cannot be shut off and must be clamped down until they break away upon ignition.
- The main engine of a space shuttle can be throttled and consists of hydrogen and oxygen tanks, with hydrogen being twice the size of the oxygen tank.
- Hydrogen and oxygen gases are liquefied and recombined in the main engine, releasing energy and producing water as a waste product.
- Achieving orbit involves reaching a specific speed where the rocket falls to Earth at the same rate Earth curves away, allowing objects to stay in orbit without additional energy.
