Space is a mysterious and most unfavorable space. Nevertheless, Tsiolkovsky believed that the future of mankind lies precisely in space. There is no reason to argue with this great scientist. Space means unlimited prospects for the development of the entire human civilization and the expansion of living space. In addition, he hides the answers to many questions. Today, man actively uses outer space. And our future depends on how rockets take off. Equally important is people's understanding of this process.
Space Race
Not so long ago, two powerful superpowers were in a state of cold war. It was like an endless competition. Many prefer to describe this period of time as an ordinary arms race, but this is absolutely not the case. This is the race of science. We owe a lot to hergadgets and the benefits of civilization, which are so accustomed to.
The space race was just one of the most important elements of the Cold War. In just a few decades, man has moved from conventional atmospheric flight to landing on the moon. This is an incredible progress when compared with other achievements. At that wonderful time, people thought that the exploration of Mars was a much closer and more realistic task than the reconciliation of the USSR and the USA. It was then that people were most passionate about space. Almost every student or schoolboy understood how a rocket takes off. It was not complex knowledge, on the contrary. Such information was simple and very interesting. Astronomy has become extremely important among other sciences. In those days, no one could say that the Earth was flat. Affordable education has eliminated ignorance everywhere. However, those days are long gone, and today it is not like that at all.
Decadence
With the collapse of the USSR, competition also ended. The reason for overfinancing of space programs is gone. Many promising and breakthrough projects have not been implemented. The time of striving for the stars was replaced by real decadence. Which, as you know, means decline, regression and a certain degree of degradation. It doesn't take a genius to understand this. It is enough to pay attention to media networks. The Flat Earth Sect is actively conducting its propaganda. People don't know basic things. In the Russian Federation, astronomy is not taught at all in schools. If you approach a passerby and ask how rockets take off, he will not answerthis simple question.
People don't even know what trajectory rockets fly. Under such conditions, there is no point in asking about orbital mechanics. Lack of proper education, "Hollywood" and video games - all this has created a false image of space itself and about flying to the stars.
This is not vertical flight
The earth is not flat, and this is an indisputable fact. The earth is not even a sphere, because it is slightly flattened at the poles. How do rockets take off in such conditions? Gradually, in several stages and not vertically.
The biggest misconception of our time is that rockets take off vertically. It's not like that at all. Such a scheme for entering orbit is possible, but very inefficient. Rocket fuel runs out very quickly. Sometimes in less than 10 minutes. There is simply not enough fuel for such a takeoff. Modern rockets take off vertically only at the initial stage of flight. Then the automation begins to give the rocket a slight roll. Moreover, the higher the flight altitude, the more noticeable the roll angle of the space rocket. Thus, the apogee and perigee of the orbit are formed in a balanced way. Thus, the most comfortable ratio between efficiency and fuel consumption is achieved. The orbit is close to a perfect circle. She will never be perfect.
If a rocket takes off vertically, there will be an incredibly huge apogee. The fuel will run out before perigee appears. In other words, not only will the rocket not fly into orbit, but due to lack of fuel, it will fly in a parabola back to the planet.
At the heart of everything is the engine
Any body is not able to move by itself. There must be something that makes him do it. In this case, it's a rocket engine. A rocket, taking off into space, does not lose its ability to move. For many, this is incomprehensible, because in a vacuum the combustion reaction is impossible. The answer is as simple as possible: the principle of operation of a rocket engine is slightly different.
So, the rocket flies in a vacuum. Its tanks contain two components. It is a fuel and an oxidizer. Their mixing ensures the ignition of the mixture. However, it is not fire that escapes from the nozzles, but hot gas. In this case, there is no contradiction. This setup works great in a vacuum.
Rocket engines come in several types. These are liquid, solid propellant, ionic, electroreactive and nuclear. The first two types are used most often, as they are able to give the greatest traction. Liquid ones are used in space rockets, solid propellant ones - in intercontinental ballistic missiles with a nuclear charge. Electrojet and nuclear are designed for the most efficient movement in a vacuum, and it is on them that the maximum hope is placed. Currently, they are not used outside of test benches.
However, Roscosmos recently placed an order for the development of an orbital tug with a nuclear engine. This gives reason to hope for the development of technology.
A narrow group of orbital maneuvering engines stands apart. They are designed to control the spacecraft. However, they are not used in rockets, but inspace ships. They are not enough for flying, but enough for maneuvering.
Speed
Unfortunately, nowadays people equate space flights with basic units of measurement. How fast does the rocket take off? This question is not entirely correct in relation to space launch vehicles. It doesn't matter how fast they take off.
There are quite a lot of missiles, and all of them have different speeds. Those designed to put astronauts into orbit fly slower than cargo ones. Man, unlike cargo, is limited by overloads. Cargo rockets, like the super-heavy Falcon Heavy, take off too fast.
The exact units of speed are difficult to calculate. First of all, because they depend on the payload of the launch vehicle. It is quite logical that a fully loaded launch vehicle takes off much more slowly than a half-empty launch vehicle. However, there is a common value that all rockets strive to achieve. This is called space velocity.
There is the first, second and, respectively, the third space velocity.
The first is the necessary speed, which will allow you to move in orbit and not fall on the planet. It is 7.9 km per second.
The second is needed in order to leave the earth's orbit and go to the orbit of another celestial body.
The third one will allow the device to overcome the gravity of the solar system and leave it. Currently, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are flying at this speed. However, contrary to media reports, they still have not left the boundaries of the solar system. Withfrom an astronomical point of view, it will take them at least 30,000 years to reach the Horta cloud. The heliopause is not the boundary of a star system. This is just where the solar wind collides with the intersystem medium.
Height
How high does a rocket take off? For the one you need. After reaching the hypothetical boundary of space and atmosphere, it is incorrect to measure the distance between the ship and the surface of the planet. After entering orbit, the ship is in a different environment, and the distance is measured in distance units.
