Science Fiction

Rocket flight Centre of Mass or Centre of Gravity (CM or CG) Centre of mass is the mean or central location of all the mass of an object. For a rocket, it is the exact location where the mass is perfectly balanced on either side.

Rocket flight Centre of Pressure (CP) Another important centre that affects a rockets flight is its centre of pressure (CP). The centre of pressure is the point where the surface area of the rocket is the same on one side as the other.

Rocket flight 1. Ignition and lift-off: To get any rocket into flight there must first be ignition. Ignition is created using an electrical charge that actually ignites the rocket engines. Once the rocket motor ignites the rocket will begin to produce thrust, moving it from the launch pad. Thrust is when a system (in this case the rocket engine accelerates mass (the rocket) in one direction.

Rocket flight 2. Engine Burnout: Most model rocket engines will only last about three seconds before they burn out. By the time the rocket engine burns out the rocket has already reached it's maximum speed. The motor burns out so quickly, right around feet high, but still manages to fly nearly one thousand feet.

Rocket flight 3. Coasting: After the rocket motor burns out the rocket will be flying at incredible speeds and will need to slow before the parachute is deployed. There is a delay charge inside the engine burning at a very low speed. Smoke continues to billow from the end of the rocket which allows for tracking the rocket.

Rocket flight 4. Apogee and Ejection: Once the model rocket has reached it's maximum altitude (apogee) the ejection charge of the rocket motor is deployed. This charge of the rocket motor blows off the nose cone and deploys the parachute.

Rocket flight 5. Recovery: Once the ejection charge deploys the parachute the recovery stage is in full effect. The parachute catches a gust of wind and will fully open, allowing the rocket to float to the ground slowly.

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