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Reference Terms
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Rocket engine

A rocket engine is a reaction engine that can be used for spacecraft propulsion as well as terrestrial uses, such as missiles. Rocket engines take their reaction mass from within the vehicle and form it into a high speed jet, obtaining thrust in accordance with Newton's third law. Most rocket engines are internal combustion engines, although non combusting forms exist. Classic rocket engines produce a high temperature, hypersonic gaseous exhaust. This is achieved by the combustion of solid, liquid or gaseous propellant, containing oxidiser and a fuel, within a combustion chamber at high pressure. The hot gas produced is then allowed to escape through a narrow hole (the 'throat'), into a high-expansion ratio nozzle. The effect of the nozzle is to dramatically accelerate the mass, converting most of the thermal energy into kinetic energy.

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Space & Time News

September 12, 2025

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Scientists caution that asteroid deflection must be precise, as striking the wrong spot risks sending it through a gravitational keyhole that sets up a future collision with Earth. Using lessons from NASA’s DART mission, researchers are developing ...
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Astronomers using AI have captured a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event: a massive star’s violent death triggered by its black hole companion. The explosion, known as SN 2023zkd, not only produced a brilliant supernova but also shocked scientists by ...
NASA and ISRO s NISAR satellite has just reached a major milestone: the successful deployment of its enormous 39-foot antenna reflector in orbit. Folded up like an umbrella during launch, the reflector is now fully extended and ready to support ...
With its two tiny CubeSats, NASA’s PREFIRE mission is capturing invisible heat escaping from Earth, offering clues to how ice, clouds, and storms influence the climate system. The insights could lead to better weather forecasts and a deeper ...
Rising CO₂ levels will make the upper atmosphere colder and thinner, altering how geomagnetic storms impact satellites. Future storms could cause sharper density spikes despite lower overall density, increasing drag-related ...
Thirteen years after landing on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover is running smarter and more efficiently than ever. With new autonomy and multitasking capabilities, it’s maximizing the output from its long-lasting nuclear power source while ...
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison uncovered a critical flaw in how lunar and Martian rovers are tested on Earth. Simulations revealed that test results have been misleading for decades because researchers only adjusted rover weight to ...
UF engineers, backed by DARPA and NASA, are perfecting laser-forming techniques that let metal sheets fold themselves into giant solar arrays, antennas, and even space-station parts right in ...
The LSST camera at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has released its jaw-dropping first images, each capturing 45 times the area of the full moon in one shot. Over the next ten years, this cosmic giant will scan the southern sky in ultra-HD, helping ...

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