A rocket is a

machine that
develops thrust by
the rapid expulsion
of matter.
The major
components of a
chemical rocket
assembly are a
rocket motor or
engine,
propellant consistin
g of fuel and an
oxidizer, a frame to
hold the
components, control
systems and a cargo
such as a satellite. A
rocket differs from
other engines in that
it carries its fuel and
oxidizer internally,
therefore it will
burn in the vacuum
of space as well as
within the Earth's
atmosphere. The
cargo is commonly
referred to as the
payload. A rocket is
called a launch
vehicle when it is
used to launch
a satellite or other
payload into space.
A rocket becomes a
missile when the
payload is a
warhead and it is
used as a
weapon. At present,
rockets are the only
means capable of
achieving the
altitude and velocity
necessary to put a
payload into orbit.
Terms
toDescribeRocket
Power
There are a number of terms used to describe the power generated by a rocket.
Thrust is the force generated, measured in pounds or kilograms. Thrust
generated by the first stage must be greater than the weight of the complete
launch vehicle while standing on the launch pad in order to get it moving. Once
moving upward, thrust must continue to be generated to accelerate the launch
vehicle against the force of the Earth's gravity. To place a satellite into orbit
around the Earth, thrust must continue until the minimum altitude and orbital
velocity have been attained or the launch vehicle will fall back to the Earth.
Minimum altitude is rarely desirable, therefore thrust must continue to be
generated to gain additional orbital altitude.
The impulse, sometimes called total impulse, is the product of thrust and the
effective firing duration. A shoulder fired rocket such as the LAW has an
average thrust of 600 lbs and a firing duration of 0.2 seconds for an impulse of
120 lbsec. The Saturn V rocket, used during the Apollo program, not only
generated much more thrust but also for a much longer time. It had an impulse
of 1.15 billion lbsec.
The efficiency of a rocket engine is measured by its specific impulse(I
sp
).
Specific impulse is defined as the thrust divided by the mass of propellant
consumed per second. The result is expressed in seconds. The specific impulse
can be thought of as the number of seconds that one pound of propellant will
produce one pound of thrust. If thrust is expressed in pounds, a specific impulse
of 300 seconds is considered good. Higher values are better.
A rocket's mass ratio is defined as the total mass at liftoff divided by the mass
remaining after all the propellant has been consumed. A high mass ratio means
that more propellant is pushing less launch vehicle and payload mass, resulting
in higher velocity. A high mass ratio is necessary to achieve the high velocities
needed to put a payload into orbit.