What happens if you launch a rocket straight up?

If a rocket just flew straight up, then it would fall right back down to Earth when it ran out of fuel! Rockets have to tilt to the side as they travel into the sky in order to reach orbit, or a circular path of motion around the Earth.

What happens to the mass and weight of a rocket as it travels beyond Earth’s orbit?

At a height of 1000 km above the Earth’s surface, the gravitational force on a 10 kg mass is about 75\% of its value on Earth. This means that, even if a rocket reaches space, the force of gravity will still pull it back towards the Earth.

Why is it easier to launch a rocket from the equator?

If a ship is launched from the equator it goes up into space, and it is also moving around the Earth at the same speed it was moving before launching. This is because of inertia. That means that the land is moving faster at the equator than any other place on the surface of the Earth.

Do rocket launches affect the Earth’s rotation?

If our interplanetary spacecraft is aimed in the same direction Earth is already going, it will get a big head start. Also, Earth rotates eastward on its axis, one complete turn each day. So if we launch the rocket toward the east, it will get another big boost from Earth’s rotational motion. Now, we launch eastward.

How does mass affect a rocket?

A rocket with more mass will speed up more slowly, just as in the horizontal example, but there is another effect. The force of gravity is now acting in the opposite direction to the thrust, so the resultant force pushing the rocket upwards is also less.

What happens when a rocket goes into space?

Exhaust is the flames, hot gases and smoke that come from burning the rocket’s propellants. The exhaust pushes out of a rocket’s engine down toward the ground. That’s the action force. In response, the rocket begins moving in the opposite direction, lifting off the ground.

Why do rockets fly east?

Rockets fly East to take advantage of Earth rotation. To get to the right orbit velocity, they can already count on that speed and need to ‘add’ much less (thus saving on fuel). To launch West, they would need to ‘produce’ all of the orbit velocity PLUS the velocity to counter the Earth’s rotation.

Why does the Earth rotate faster at the Equator?

Specifically, Earth rotates faster at the Equator than it does at the poles. Earth is wider at the Equator, so to make a rotation in one 24-hour period, equatorial regions race nearly 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) per hour. Near the poles, Earth rotates at a sluggish 0.00008 kilometers (0.00005 miles) per hour.

How do rockets fly straight?

The aerodynamic shape of the nose cone helps prevent air from slowing the rocket. The fins help guide the rocket to fly straight. The fuel and oxidizer burn together to launch the rocket off the ground.

How do you increase the stability of a rocket?

You can increase the stability by lowering the center of pressure, increasing the fin area, for example, or by raising the center of gravity, adding weight to the nose. NOTE: Modern full scale rockets do not usually rely on aerodynamics for stability.

What is the altitude of a model rocket?

Most model rockets only reach altitudes of 200 to 2,000 feet but in 2004 a model rocket launched by the Civilian Space eXploration Team reached an altitude of about 72 miles high. While launching a model rocket into space is possible, such a feat is rarely accomplished.

How do you find the lift off time of a rocket?

Using the length of the launch tube L , we can now solve for the lift off time – TLO by using the second equation: As the rocket clears the end of the launch tube (t = TLO+), the air inside the rocket, at pressure ps, will rush out the exit and the pressure will equalize with free stream inside the tube.

How does the weight of a rocket affect its performance?

The weight of a rocket will determine how much of the engine’s fuel it takes to launch it and to accelerate it. The faster the fuel is used up, the lower the altitude. A lightweight rocket on the other hand will not have enough momentum after the engine burns out to coast effectively, and it may be more easily affected by the wind.