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The Kid Should See This

The Chemistry of Rockets: How do rockets work?

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How are controlled explosions made just right so that they’ll generate the kind of thrust that sends a rocket up, up, up and beyond our atmosphere?

Analytical Chemist Raychelle Burks, Ph.D., explains how solid and liquid propellants create the “ride-able explosions” that can majestically demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion. There’s also some illustrative help by the Kerbal Space Program video game.

fuel + oxidizer
black powder
kerosene
Fun fact: Rockets have to travel about 25,000 miles per hour to get into space… that’s at least seven miles per second. Seven. Miles. Per. Second.

In the archives: more incredible rockets.

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