Why do shuttles launch vertically

In which direction does the air come out of the balloon and in which direction does the balloon get propelled?

Explain your answer. Figure 1 shows a rocket accelerating straight up. In Figure 1a, the rocket has a mass m and a velocity v relative to Earth, and hence a momentum mv. Remember that impulse is the net external force on a system multiplied by the time it acts, and it equals the change in momentum of the system. So, the center of mass of the system is in free fall but, by rapidly expelling mass, part of the system can accelerate upward. It is a commonly held misconception that the rocket exhaust pushes on the ground.

In fact, gases are easier to expel into a vacuum. Figure 1. The reaction force on the rocket is what overcomes the gravitational force and accelerates it upward. First, the greater the exhaust velocity of the gases relative to the rocket, v e , the greater the acceleration is. The practical limit for v e is about 2. The second factor is the rate at which mass is ejected from the rocket. The third factor is the mass m of the rocket.

The smaller the mass is all other factors being the same , the greater the acceleration. The rocket mass m decreases dramatically during flight because most of the rocket is fuel to begin with, so that acceleration increases continuously, reaching a maximum just before the fuel is exhausted.

Calculate its initial acceleration. This problem is a straightforward application of the expression for acceleration because a is the unknown and all of the terms on the right side of the equation are given. This value is fairly small, even for an initial acceleration. Knowing this acceleration and the mass of the rocket, you can show that the thrust of the engines was 3. Note that v is actually the change in velocity, so the equation can be used for any segment of the flight.

If we start from rest, the change in velocity equals the final velocity. Figure 2. The space shuttle had a number of reusable parts. Solid fuel boosters on either side were recovered and refueled after each flight, and the entire orbiter returned to Earth for use in subsequent flights.

The large liquid fuel tank was expended. The space shuttle was a complex assemblage of technologies, employing both solid and liquid fuel and pioneering ceramic tiles as reentry heat shields. As a result, it permitted multiple launches as opposed to single-use rockets. Expressed as percentages, It is difficult to build a rocket in which the fuel has a mass times everything else.

The solution is multistage rockets. Each stage only needs to achieve part of the final velocity and is discarded after it burns its fuel. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? Space Shuttle program. View source. History Talk 0. Fan Feed 1 List of solar system objects by mass 2 Intergalactic space 3 Cislunar space. More rockets are fired at this point to separate the satellite from its launch vehicle. The best location for maximum boost is at the equator, where the rotation of the Earth is fastest.

To most people, the small difference in speed may seem irrelevant but it can actually affect the launch. The combined weight of rockets, their payloads and fuel can be extremely heavy.