Bigthink - Idea Comments Feed

Comment on: Spaceship

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 10:59:57 +0100

Duh! If you have not discovered the wonderful knowledge-base available through Google or Wiki, I am wondering how you heard about BigThink. I believe this should not be your first port of call.

Comment on: Spaceship

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 03:44:49 +0100

Well said. Elementary questions like this belong on Yahoo Answers, but I suspect there you would get a lot of nonsense answers, as well as some actual physics. Action and reaction. What grade are you in young one?
Basic science or even google would help you and us waste less time. If you ARE an adult, this illustrates perfectly the need for better education, especially Science and Math, in our public schools. I learned this in a public school, but as I recall, I was a voracious science lover and read about space in the school library on my own, first. Then a science class got around to it, after that. Read, learn, grab as much knowledge as you can. Most is free, degrees certainly aren't. In Ireland, if your grades are good enough, the state pays for your college!!
Now isn't that better than the profit motivated American way?
Anyway, Newton's Law. For every action, there is an equal and opposite re action.
In the case of a rocket exhaust, the explosive burning of the fuel mixture exits the rocket nozzles at a high rate of speed and, in a reaction to this the ship moves away from the exhausted, burnt fuel. In a vacuum, in air, doesn't matter. Elementary.

Comment on: Spaceship

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:26:52 +0100

duh! the idea is to ask a question if I had an idea of the answer I woudn't have asked. your obviously up yourself! dont try and answer questions you dont understand GOODBYE

Comment on: Spaceship

Bigthink — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:10:37 +0100

Note: I don't think elementary questions like this belong here. In other words, I don't think people should post ideas if they have no IDEA what they are talking about. I digress.

A rocket engine ejects fuel at a high velocity to create thrust.
In the atmosphere, the fuel will bounce off molecules of air, but this is irrelevant. In space, the fuel is ejected, and conservation of momentum predicts that the rocket will accelerate opposite the direction of the fuel.