The Basic Structure of a Rocket
There are four major systems in a full scale rocket; the structural system, the payload system, the guidance system, and the propulsion system.
The structural system, or frame, is similar to the main body of an airplane. The frame is made from very strong but light weight materials, like titanium or aluminium. The frame has ‘stringers’ which run top to the bottom which are connected to ‘hoops’ which run around the circumference. The ‘skin’ is then attached to the stringers and hoops to from the basic shape of the rocket. The skin may be coated with a thermal protection system to keep out the heat of air friction during flight and to keep in the cold temperatures needed for certain fuels and oxidizers. Fins are attached to some rockets at the bottom of the frame to provide stability during the flight.
The payload system of a rocket depends on the rocket’s mission. (The payload system definitely will differ depending on the type of mission). Some of them are vehicles, some are experiments; some are intended to eject from the rocket. The equipment carried by a rocket, satellite, or spacecraft. The payloads of vehicles are the equipment that ends up doing the intended job of the mission, during or after the travel from the Earth’s surface to the mission’s location. It’s the small packet that the whole rocket and fuels are built in order to transports.
The guidance system of a rocket may include very sophisticated sensors, on-board computers, radars, and communication equipment to manoeuvre the rocket in flight. Many different methods have been developed to control rockets in flight. Modern rockets typically rotate the nozzle to move the rocket. The guidance system must also provide some level stability so that the rocket does not tumble in flight.
Most of a full scale rocket is the propulsion system. There are two main classes of propulsion systems; liquid rocket engines and solid rocket engines. In a liquid rocket engine, it consists of fuel and oxidizer (propellant) tanks, pumps, a combustion chamber with nozzle, and the associated plumbing.
The structural system, or frame, is similar to the main body of an airplane. The frame is made from very strong but light weight materials, like titanium or aluminium. The frame has ‘stringers’ which run top to the bottom which are connected to ‘hoops’ which run around the circumference. The ‘skin’ is then attached to the stringers and hoops to from the basic shape of the rocket. The skin may be coated with a thermal protection system to keep out the heat of air friction during flight and to keep in the cold temperatures needed for certain fuels and oxidizers. Fins are attached to some rockets at the bottom of the frame to provide stability during the flight.
The payload system of a rocket depends on the rocket’s mission. (The payload system definitely will differ depending on the type of mission). Some of them are vehicles, some are experiments; some are intended to eject from the rocket. The equipment carried by a rocket, satellite, or spacecraft. The payloads of vehicles are the equipment that ends up doing the intended job of the mission, during or after the travel from the Earth’s surface to the mission’s location. It’s the small packet that the whole rocket and fuels are built in order to transports.
The guidance system of a rocket may include very sophisticated sensors, on-board computers, radars, and communication equipment to manoeuvre the rocket in flight. Many different methods have been developed to control rockets in flight. Modern rockets typically rotate the nozzle to move the rocket. The guidance system must also provide some level stability so that the rocket does not tumble in flight.
Most of a full scale rocket is the propulsion system. There are two main classes of propulsion systems; liquid rocket engines and solid rocket engines. In a liquid rocket engine, it consists of fuel and oxidizer (propellant) tanks, pumps, a combustion chamber with nozzle, and the associated plumbing.