18 questions linked to/from Why are rockets so big?
3k views

### Is there an upper limit to a rocket's size/payload? [duplicate]

It's obvious that as you increase the payload of a rocket, you need to also increase the amount of rocket fuel. Yet, as you increase the amount of rocket fuel, you are also increasing the overall mass ...
35 views

### I would like to know why they make rockets so big [duplicate]

Why are rockets so big? I mean wouldn’t it be easier to make them smaller for flying to the moon? So, why large?
4k views

### I don't understand why escape velocity is necessary [duplicate]

I have read multiple explanations of escape velocity, including that on Wikipedia, and I don't understand it. If I launch a rocket from the surface of the Earth towards the sun with just enough force ...
12k views

### Why do rockets have multiple stages?

What is the advantage for rockets to have multiple stages? Wouldn't a single stage with the same amount of fuel weigh less? Note I would like a quantitative answer, if possible :-)
2k views

### Why do rockets jettison fuel tanks? [duplicate]

I'm trying to understand why rockets have multistages releasing their fuel tanks. Say a rocket $R$ has two fuel tanks $A$ and $B$, which respectively have masses $m_a$ and $m_b$, and the mass of the ...
2k views

### How does a rocket's exhaust gas' momentum propel a rocket?

During the launch of a rocket into space, the exhaust gases from the engine possess momentum. Outline, with the help of an equation, how this causes the rocket to be propelled upwards. Can someone ...
841 views

### Which is the right explanation for rocket motion? [duplicate]

What actually causes a rocket to move? Is it the pressure in the rocket engine or the amount and velocity of mass that is being ejected out. The reason I am asking is, I found these two explanations ...
329 views

### Why not shoot a marble sized spacecraft at the moon?

I was thinking about the Google XPrize for Space Travel the other day. In order to claim the prize of building a robot that goes to the moon, travels 500m, and relays data, I had the idea of building ...
1k views

### How much fuel is needed for a constant-acceleration rocket?

My son and I have been discussing the concept of a constant-acceleration rocket, as described here and here. We're willing to assume advanced technology such as a fusion rocket, which, according to ...
394 views

292 views

### Understanding rocket equations [closed]

I'm doing a science project where I have to explain the physics behind a trip to an exoplanet and I also have to explain about rocket equations while doing so. I know that a trip to an exoplanet is ...