Quote:
Originally Posted by JayUtah
I don't think dpstdd is here necessarily to argue that rocket propulsion doesn't work without something to push against. I think he's trying to reconcile the fact that rockets do work with what he misconceived the governing principles to be. A lot of people have the same misconception, so it's good of him to ask.
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Maybe I'm just too cynical. The resurrection of an old thread in the conspiracy theories section to ask a question that could have gone in 'questions and answers', the start of the question with 'if there is a vacuum round the Moon', and the use of 'gotcha' in one of his replies just set some alarm bells ringing in my head.
Isn't a rocket engine just like a series of explosions? As each explosion occurs the gases expand outsards from the point at which they origniated. In one direction they happen to impact the inside of the rocket engine, so they impart a bit of momentum. Get them frequently and powerful enough and you start to shove your rocket along.