Rockets

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Rockets
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Rodolfo Ramirez
Principles of technology
January 2006
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Table of contents
Introduction
Practical Rocketry
Modern uses
History
NASA Launches
Timeline
Positives Negatives
Principals
Pie Graph
How rockets work
Conclusion
Scientific method
Index
Nature of Science
Glossary
Problem solving
Resources
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An Introduction To Rockets
Scientists believed that the Chinese invented
rockets and was the first to build a working
rocket which was describe as "Arrows of flying
fire" By 1300 the use of rockets has spread
through out much of Asia and Europe. During the
early 1800"s. Colonel Congreve of the British
army developed rocket that carried explosive,
some of these rockets weighed as much as 60
pounds. Several other countries also developed
military rockets. In 1800"s an English inventor
William Hale improved accuracy in Military
rockets by substituted three fins for the long
wooden tail which was used to guide the rocket,
these rocket was used in the Mexican war and the
American Civil war (1861-1865).
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Historical account
The evolution of the rocket has made it an
indispensable tool in the exploration of space.
For centuries, rockets have provided ceremonial
and warfare uses starting with the ancient
Chinese, the first to create rockets. The rocket
apparently made its debut on the pages of history
as a fire arrow used by the Chin Tartars in 1232
AD for fighting off a Mongol assault on
Kai-feng-fu. The lineage to the immensely larger
rockets now used as space launch vehicles is
unmistakable. But for centuries rockets were in
the main rather small, and their use was confined
principally to weaponry, the projection of
lifelines in sea rescue, signaling, and fireworks
displays. Not until the 20th century did a clear
understanding of the principles of rockets
emerge, and only then did the technology of large
rockets begin to evolve. Thus, as far as
spaceflight and space science are concerned, the
story of rockets up to the beginning of the 20th
century was largely prologue.
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Historical account 2
These first rockets burned a substance called
black powder which consisted of charcoal salt
paper and sulfur which used as a fireworks and as
a weapon.
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Rocketry timeline

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Principals
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How rockets work
Thrust is the force that propels a rocket or
spacecraft and is measured in pounds, kilograms
or Newtons. Physically speaking, it is the result
of pressure which is exerted on the wall of the
combustion chamber. To create high speed exhaust
gases, the necessary high temperatures and
pressures of combustion are obtained by using a
very energetic fuel and by having the molecular
weight of the exhaust gases as low as possible.
It is also necessary to reduce the pressure of
the gas as much as possible inside the nozzle by
creating a large section ratio. The section
ratio, or expansion ratio, is defined as the area
of the exit Ae divided by the area of the throat
at
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Scientific Process
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Nature of Science
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Problem Solving
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Process
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Practical Rocketry
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Modern Uses
A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which
obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of
fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket
engine. Often the term rocket is also used to
mean a rocket engine. In military terminology, a
rocket generally uses solid propellant and is
unguided. These rockets can be fired by
ground-attack aircraft at fixed targets such as
buildings, or can be launched by ground forces at
other ground targets. During the Vietnam era,
there were also air launched unguided rockets
that carried a nuclear payload designed to attack
aircraft formations in flight. A missile, by
contrast, can use either solid or liquid
propellant, and has a guidance system. This
distinction generally applies only in the case of
weapons, though, and not to civilian or orbital
launch vehicles.
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NASA Launches
NASA launched Saturday its Swift satellite, which
will track huge explosions of gamma rays, the US
space agency said. The Delta rocket launches
lifted of from Cape Canaveral at 1216 pm,
according to NASA, which televised the launch
live. It was slated to enter Earth orbit one hour
and 20 minutes later at an altitude of 600
kilometers (370 miles). Swift is a 250 million
dollars mission, with British and Italian
participation. Scientist hope it will provide
insights into black holes. Gamma rays would be
lethal to us on Earth were it not for our
atmospheric shield. They emanate from
astonishingly powerful phenomena, such as
supernovae - massive stars that, when all their
fuel has expired, perish in a violent explosion,
spewing out material that later becomes the stuff
of new stars and planets. Another gamma-ray
source is mighty bursts from deep space that have
only recently been detected and have unleashed
fierce debate among astrophysicists.
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Negative Aspect
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Pie Graph
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Positive Aspects
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Concluding thoughts
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Index
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Glossary
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Resources