Homework Help!

[oblivion252]

Hi guys!

 

I have a major homework issue and would appreciate help. Here's the question:

 

"How do rockets work in space where there is no oxygen for burning?"

 

It's a research homework so answers would be loved. Thanks.

[insane_alien]

same way they work on earth, just without the pesky atmosphere getting in the way of the exauhst gases and reducing the overall thrust.

[oblivion252]

This isn't specific enough. Please give some assistance. I have no idea how rockets work in the first place and I only need to write half a side of A4.

[insane_alien]

well they work on the principal of conservation of momentum and that every action will have an equal and opposite reaction(newtons third law.)

 

the basics of how they work is to chuck a lot of gas out the nozzle really really fast(a few kilometers per second.) the faster you chuck stuff out the back, the more thrust.

 

rockets burn hydrogen and oxygen(usually) to create the energy and the material to fire out of the nozzle.

 

the rest, i suggest you research yourself. it is a useful skill to have later on in academic life.

[the tree]

All three of Newtons laws are relevant to answering this one, the second and third sort of coming in a bundle as per insane_alien's post, but I'd say it'd be an incomplete answer without mentioning all three.

[fattyjwoods]

well maybe because rockets take a small amount of oxygen as well as the rocket fuel and other things that chemically react together to produce propulsion

[Country Boy]

They take their oxygen with them!

[fattyjwoods]

Exacty what I was trying to say