Rocket launches often produce spectacular imagery, but it’s rare to get a launch view quite like this one. The photograph above shows the recent launch of an Atlas V rocket Keep reading
Tag: underexpanded nozzle
Fireworks Taking Off
Aerial fireworks are essentially semi-controlled exploding rockets. Here Discovery Channel shares high-speed video of fireworks taking off. The turbulent billowing exhaust on the ground is reminiscent of other rocket launches. Keep reading
Bottle Rocket Shock Waves
This high speed video shows schlieren photography of a bottle rocket’s exhaust. The supersonic CO2 leaving the nozzle is underexpanded, meaning its pressure is still higher than the ambient atmosphere. Keep reading
Rocket Engine Test
[original media no longer available] In this static test of XCOR Aerospace’s Lynx rocket engine, Mach diamonds (shown at the top of the frame) are visible in the rocket exhaust. Keep reading
Rocket Exhaust
This image of the Apollo 11 launch shows the Saturn V’s underexpanded nozzle (identifiable by the excessive width of the exhaust jet) shortly after liftoff. The faint diamond shape of Keep reading