How exactly does it work. I understand on earth that rockets displace air giving it thrust. But inspace there is truley nothing to displace. (Correct??) Don't flame me im new here, and im trying to educate myself.
It's the old famous "action reaction" principle at work. It doesn't involve displacing air in either case. The force produced by the rocket exhaust pushes against the rocket. Just exactly like the recoil from a cannon causes it to bounce up and kick backwards somewhat. Or firing a shotgun kicks against your shoulder. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Seriously, not just to piss you off Read-Only, I do think that linear momentum is not conserved. I mean, maybe net momentum is but it can be scattered so that thrust is produced without propellant in space.
It still doesn't register in my brain. One example that i can think of is. If you fire a model rocket from your hand (don't try it) It takes off slowley (well slow for a rocket) But if you put it against something solid (concreate) it takes off much much faster. That is why i thought it had to have something to push against.
Have you ever fired a gun of any type and felt the recoil? How about this: Blow up a baloon and release it. It would fly just as easily - actually, much better - in outer space with no atmosphere to have to fly through. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yes i've fired many guns. So a gun would still have recoil in space? I really didn't know that. But then in space if a person fired a gun they would fly as far as the bullet correct?
Yes, the gun would have recoil in space. And it's exactly the *same* "recoil" (action and reaction) that moves a rocket in space. Well, the person who fired the gun in space AND the bullet would both keep moving away from each other forever - unless the person was tied to a safety line. The difference would be in their speeds. That's mathematically related to their masses (what we call 'weight' on the surface of the Earth). The bullet, having FAR less mass would travel away MUCH faster - but you do have the general idea right.
There mass would decide there speed that sounds right. I think i was mainly confused because, i know in space a jet engine would be useless. Rockets work totally differnt, from explosion. Where the Jet engine displaces air.
Well, there are actually 'explosions' in both cases. The real difference is that a jet engine requires oxygen in order to burn it's fuel - and a rocket carries it's own oxygen for that purpose.
Oh yea....I wasn't thinking. So the intake is just that its intake to give it oxygen to burn the fuel (same as a standard engine) If i rememeber right, space shuttles use liquid oxygen and a type of fuel for there rockets. I've used liquid oxygen in some things dangerious stuff. Cool propertys though.
Yep, you're right. LOX and liquid nitrogen are both fun (and a bit dangerous) to play with. You can take some very thin strips of rubber and make them hard enough so that you can drive them into wood with a hammer - just like nails. You can also take a volley ball or soccer ball and freeze it. Then throw it on the floor and it will shatter just like glass.
Hey! All of you! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! You're all making it tooooo complicated. This isn't ROCKET SCIENCE you know! There's a very simple ex... expla... :huh: uh... Oops! Never mind. :truce:
