5. Rocket launching

This simple activity requires a balloon, a thread, straw and tape.

 

Inference:
When the air escapes out from the balloon at one end, straw moves to the opposite direction along with the balloon. The balloon's action is similar to the movement of rocket.

Initially, the rockets are held down by clamps on the launching pad before being launched into space. At the very top of the rocket, manned or unmanned satellites are kept.

 

 

When the rocket's fuel is burnt, an upward thrust is generated. After some time, there will be a stage where the upward thrust will eventually exceed the satellite's weight. The clamp will then be released by remote control at that stage, and the rocket will be launched upwards.

 

 

According to Newton's third law, any action has an equal and opposite reaction. Hence, the rocket would fly upwards as the gas is released downward.

A satellite must be lifted to the appropriate height and given the correct speed and direction by the launching rocket in order to be placed in a specific orbit.

If the rocket is launched at a high velocity near the earth's surface, it will burn up due to air friction. Furthermore, such high speeds cannot be achieved by a single rocket. As a result, multistage rockets are employed.

 

 

At first, the rocket rises vertically and then it is tilted at an angle by a guidance mechanism to get through the lower dense part of the atmosphere.