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| Revolutionary Kibalchich (Photo: penza) |
In this matter, even some people who studied physics have misunderstood. They believe that rockets fly because they push the air with the gases produced by the combustion of explosives. However, in reality, the reason rockets ascend is entirely different.
Because if a rocket is launched in a vacuum, it would actually fly faster than in an atmosphere. Thus, air is not the medium that supports a rocket’s ascent.
Revolutionary Kibalchich presented this reason clearly and understandably in his writings before dying due to the military rocket he designed, as follows:
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Delta II Rocket (Photo: NASA) |
“Take the explosives compressed into a cylindrical shape, with a wide groove along the axis, and place this explosive into a steel tube (with one end sealed and one end open). The explosive begins to burn from the surface of the groove and gradually spreads to the outer surface of the explosive over a certain period. The gases produced by the burning explosive will create pressure in all directions, but the side pressures of the gases balance each other, while the pressure at the open end of the tube is not counterbalanced (because the gases have a free escape path in this direction), thus propelling the rocket forward.”
Here, the phenomenon is similar to that of firing a cannon. When the cannonball moves forward, the cannon body recoils backward. You may recall the “recoil” of a rifle or any other type of firearm. If a cannon is suspended in the air without any support, after firing a shot, it will be pushed backward with some velocity. The heavier the cannon is compared to the projectile, the slower its velocity will be in comparison to that of the projectile.
A rocket is also a type of cannon, except that it does not fire projectiles but expels explosive gases. It is the explosive that, when ignited, generates pressure, pushing the rocket in the opposite direction to the flow of the compressed gas. In this case, that opposite direction is upward into the sky.
