![]() The acceleration of the model rocket at 90 m/s 2 is far greater than the Space Shuttle at 5.25 m/s 2, but there is a significant difference in the motion after launch.įirstly, the model rocket only had enough propellant for 1 second of thrust. ![]() Resultant force = thrust – weight = 30.5 million – 20 million = 10.5 million newtons.Īcceleration = resultant force ÷ mass = 10.5 million ÷ 2 million = 5.25 m/s 2. This gives a massive total thrust of 30.5 million newtons! The thrust of each of the big white solid rocket boosters on the side was 12.5 million newtons, and the three main engines at the tail end of the bit that looks like a plane (the Space Shuttle orbiter) had a combined thrust of 5.5 million newtons. This means the total weight at lift-off is 2 million x 9.8, which is approximately 20 million newtons (20 mega newtons). It had a lift-off mass of 2 million kilograms (2000 tonnes). The Space Shuttle mission that launched on 24 February 2011 was called STS-133. Calculating the acceleration of the Space Shuttle The same method can be used for a full-sized rocket such as the Space Shuttle. ![]() This is nine times the normal acceleration due to gravity. This means that, every second, the speed of the rocket increases by 90 m/s. The resultant force is the thrust – weight = 5 – 0.49 = 4.51 N (unrounded).Īcceleration = resultant force divided by mass = 4.51 ÷ 0.050 = 90 metres per second squared (90 m/s 2). To find the weight, 50 g needs to be changed into kilograms by dividing by 1000. One model rocket has a mass of 50 grams and a rocket engine that produces a thrust of 5 N for 1 second. It can be calculated using the equationĪcceleration = resultant force (newtons, N) divided by mass (kilograms, kg). Calculating the acceleration of a model rocketĪcceleration is a measure of how much the speed increases each second. The resultant force on each rocket is calculated using the equation resultant force = thrust – weight. Weight is the force due to gravity and is calculated (at the Earth’s surface) by multiplying the mass (kilograms) by 9.8. The two forces acting on rockets at the moment of launch are the thrust upwards and the weight downwards.
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