• Question: why do satellites need such big rockets to get them away from the earths surface?

    Asked by periodictable.com to Andres, Andy, Emma, Shahil, Sheryl, Zoe on 13 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Zoe Lonsdale

      Zoe Lonsdale answered on 13 Mar 2017:


      The rocket has to provide propulsion to move its self weight, overcome drag and resist the pull of gravity.

    • Photo: Andres Rivero

      Andres Rivero answered on 13 Mar 2017:


      Hi,

      So they can get them out into orbit. The amount of energy that is needed to get something out of the earth’s atmosphere is tremendously high, which means that lots of fuel need to be burned so that it can reached those high altitudes. This may not be the most efficient way to do it, and that’s why some companies are looking into concepts where the vehicle is sort of a hybrid between a rocket and an aeroplane. This vehicle would climb like an aeroplane to certain altitude and then would use the rocket to get in orbit. The most famous one was the VSS Enterprise by Virgin Galatic, which was unfortunately destroyed in an accident few years ago.

      Andres

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