Rocket science has a reputation for being an incredibly difficult subject. But while there’s complexity in the execution, the concept behind rockets is pretty simple: throw mass out the back Keep reading
Tag: rocket science
A Groovy Hovercraft
Not long ago, researchers discovered that droplets hovering over a hot grooved surface would self-propel. The extension to this was to investigate a hovercraft on a grooved, porous surface (top Keep reading
Rocket Launch Systems
If you’ve ever watched a rocket launch, you’ve probably noticed the billowing clouds around the launch pad during lift-off. What you’re seeing is not actually the rocket’s exhaust but the Keep reading
Watching a Model Rocket Burn
Rockets operate on a pretty simple principle: if you throw something out the back really fast, the rocket goes forward. Practically speaking, we accomplish this with a combination of chemistry Keep reading
Early Rocket Launch
Pre-dawn launches provide some of the most dramatic rocket footage. This video is from an October 2nd Atlas V launch, and the really fun stuff starts at about 0:34. As Keep reading
Homemade Hybrid Rocket Engine
In this video, Ben Krasnow details and demos a small hybrid rocket engine he built in his workshop. Hybrid rockets utilize propellants that are two different states of matter, in Keep reading
Reader Question: Rocket Propulsion
staunchreality-deactivated20120 asks: Hey there – Love the blog. Most interesting science blog I follow 🙂 This may be a silly question – is propulsion through space purely a function of exit Keep reading
Godspeed, Discovery!
The space shuttle, despite three decades of service, remains a triumph of engineering. Although it is nominally a space vehicle, fluid dynamics are vital throughout its operation. From the combustion Keep reading
Starting a Rocket
This computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation shows the start-up of a two-dimensional, ideal rocket nozzle. Starting a rocket engine or supersonic wind tunnel is more complicated than its subsonic counterpart Keep reading
Mach Diamonds
Joe asks: Why does this rocket have that repeating pattern in its exhaust? I’m amazed that it’s so stable for so far as distance from the nozzle. Excellent question! The Keep reading