Abstract
The rocket principle is the basis of all propulsion in space, and all launch vehicles. The twin properties of needing no external medium for the propulsion system to act upon, and no external oxidant for the fuel, enable rockets to work in any ambient conditions, including the vacuum of space. The thermal rocket is the basis of all launchers, and almost all space propulsion (although some electric propulsion uses a different principle). In this chapter we shall treat the rocket motor as a heat engine, and examine the physical principles of its operation. From these physical principles the strengths and limitations of rocket motors can be understood and appreciated.
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© 2009 Praxis Publishing Ltd, Chichester, UK
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(2009). The thermal rocket engine. In: Rocket and Spacecraft Propulsion. Springer Praxis Books. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69203-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69203-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-69202-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69203-4
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