Rocket Science 101 Explained!
Hey friends, Happy Thursday!
Next week is the 50th week of my Newsletter and I have new exciting new announcements to make. Stay tuned!
Let’s look at the basics of rocket science this week as there have recently been too many updates related to space exploration. I aim to write my newsletter issues in a way one can follow them while traveling on a bus, having a coffee, waiting for food, etc. Let's jump in!
Basic Working Principle
Figure 1: Newton's Third Law used primarily by Rockets for motion
Blow air into a balloon and puncture it. The balloon flies and travels all around the room. So, this is basically Newton’s third law and rockets use the very same principle. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the context of a rocket, this means that when the rocket expels mass (propellant) in one direction, it generates a force in the opposite direction that propels the rocket forward.
How do Rocket Engines work?
Figure 2: Components of a Rocket. Source: ResearchGate
I’m writing this as a step-by-step numbered process so that it’s readable and you can follow it easily.
Rocket engine components: A rocket engine has a combustion chamber where the chemical reaction occurs. Primarily, it has the fuel and the oxidizer, collectively known as propellant. The fuel is usually a hydrocarbon compound, like liquid hydrogen (LH2) or kerosene, and the oxidizer is typically liquid oxygen (LOX), which provides the oxygen necessary for combustion.
Combustion: The fuel and oxidizer are injected into the combustion chamber and mixed together. Once ignited, the fuel and oxidizer undergo combustion - releasing a large amount of energy in the form of heat.
Expansion and Exhaust: The heat produced by combustion causes the gases inside the combustion chamber to expand rapidly. This increase in pressure forces the gases to escape through a nozzle at the back of the rocket engine. The nozzle is designed to accelerate the exhaust gases to very high speeds as they leave the rocket.
Action and Reaction: As the hot gases are expelled out of the rocket’s nozzle at high speed, they create a high-speed jet of exhaust gases moving in one direction. According to Newton’s third law, for every action (the expulsion of exhaust gases), there is an equal and opposite reaction. This reaction is what propels the rocket forward with a force known as thrust.
Rocket motion: The combustion, expansion, and exhaust process is continuous as long as the rocket engine is firing. The engine continues to burn propellant, generating thrust and propelling the rocket forward.
Gadget of the week
Figure 3: AIPER robot in a swimming pool. Source: AIPER
AIPER Seagull Pro: This is a cordless autonomous robotic pool cleaner that uses path-planning algorithms to clean entire the pool including the floor, walls, etc. It has powerful motors to climb walls as well.
Next week is the 50th week of my Newsletter and I have new exciting new announcements to make. Stay tuned!
Thank you for reading!
Have a nice rest of the week, and take care!
Until next Wednesday,
Chendur
