Does atmospheric pressure reduce rocket thrust?

Does atmospheric pressure reduce rocket thrust?

Answer: Yes, the forward force propelling the rocket – called the thrust – is affected by the surrounding atmos- phere. There are in fact two different ways in which the atmosphere modifies the thrust, as I shall try to explain. The overall effect is a reduction of the thrust.

What is the exhaust velocity of a rocket?

For the best chemical rockets, the exhaust speed is around 3,000 meters per second. When electric propulsion is used, exhaust speeds can be up to 20,000 meters per second or more.

How does pressure affect a rocket?

The higher the pressure the higher the velocity and thus delta/v per unit of fuel. A few other parameters come into play: The shape of the nozzle. The pressure ratio between the combustion chamber and the outside (the higher the ambiant pressure the lower the ratio the lower the exhaust velocity)

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What is the exhaust of a rocket?

For rocket propulsion the fuel and oxidizer are usually stored as either a liquid or a solid. During combustion, new chemical substances are created from the fuel and the oxidizer. These substances are called exhaust. Most of the exhaust comes from chemical combinations of the fuel and oxygen.

How do rockets leave atmosphere?

Rockets don’t go escape Earth’s gravity by launching directly from the surface. Rather, astronomical engineers first send these rockets into orbit and then use orbital velocity as a slingshot to propel a rocket to its necessary escape velocity.

How does rocket accelerate in space?

In space, rockets zoom around with no air to push against. Rockets and engines in space behave according to Isaac Newton’s third law of motion: Every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. When a rocket shoots fuel out one end, this propels the rocket forward — no air is required.

Why does the shape of a rocket’s exhaust change with altitude?

Actually, even in atmosphere, with increase in altitude during first stage ascent and drop of atmospheric pressure this geometry will change; During early ascent in high density atmosphere, exhaust plume that exits rocket engine nozzle is at lower pressure than its surrounding atmospheric pressure and it compresses it into a long and narrow jet.

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What is the temperature inside a rocket engine?

The temperature and pressure inside the engine’s combustion chamber is very high — in the ballpark of 3400º C and 100 atmospheres for the Falcon Heavy’s Merlin engines. However, the bell-shaped nozzle of a rocket engine expands the exhaust stream, which both cools it and reduces its pressure.

Why does a rocket engine provide more thrust in a vacuum?

– Space Exploration Stack Exchange Why does a rocket engine provide more thrust in a vacuum than in atmosphere? Each Space Shuttle Main Engine operates at a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen mixture ratio of 6 to 1 to produce a sea level thrust of 179,097 kilograms (375,000 pounds) and a vacuum thrust of 213,188 (470,000 pounds).

What does a rocket exhaust plume look like in the atmosphere?

There are plenty of photos of rocket tests and launches in atmosphere, and in these the exhaust plume tends to be a long thin flame. Is this true for when rocket engines operate in a vacuum?

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