Reaction Engine
A reaction engine is an engine, engine or motor that produces thrust by expelling reaction mass (reaction propulsion), in accordance with Newton's third law of motion. This law of motion is commonly paraphrased as: "For every action force there is an equal, but opposite, reaction force." Examples include jet engines, rocket engines, pump-jets, and more uncommon variations such as Hall effect thrusters, ion drives, mass drivers, and nuclear pulse propulsion. Discovery The discovery of the reaction engine has been attributed to the Romanian inventor Alexandru Ciurcu and to the French journalist . Energy use Propulsive efficiency For all reaction engines that carry on-board propellant (such as rocket engines and electric propulsion drives) some energy must go into accelerating the reaction mass. Every engine wastes some energy, but even assuming 100% efficiency, the engine needs energy amounting to :\begin \frac \end MV_e^2 (where M is the mass of propellent expended and V_e i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power generation), heat energy (e.g. geothermal), chemical energy, electric potential and nuclear energy (from nuclear fission or nuclear fusion). Many of these processes generate heat as an intermediate energy form; thus heat engines have special importance. Some natural processes, such as atmospheric convection cells convert environmental heat into motion (e.g. in the form of rising air currents). Mechanical energy is of particular importance in transportation, but also plays a role in many industrial processes such as cutting, grinding, crushing, and mixing. Mechanical heat engines convert heat into work via various thermodynamic processes. The internal combustion engine is perhaps the most common example of a mechanical heat engine in wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Solar Energy
Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power, and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include designing a building for better daylighting (architecture), daylighting, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and organizing spaces that ventilation (architecture), naturally circulate air. In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fuel Value
In physics, energy density is the quotient between the amount of energy stored in a given system or contained in a given region of space and the volume of the system or region considered. Often only the ''useful'' or extractable energy is measured. It is sometimes confused with stored energy per unit mass, which is called ''specific energy'' or . There are different types of energy stored, corresponding to a particular type of reaction. In order of the typical magnitude of the energy stored, examples of reactions are: nuclear, chemical (including electrochemical), electrical, pressure, material deformation or in electromagnetic fields. Nuclear reactions take place in stars and nuclear power plants, both of which derive energy from the binding energy of nuclei. Chemical reactions are used by organisms to derive energy from food and by automobiles from the combustion of gasoline. Liquid hydrocarbons (fuels such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene) are today the densest way known to ec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Average Propulsive Efficiency Of Rockets
In ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list. For example, the mean or average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 (summing to 25) is 5. Depending on the context, the most representative statistic to be taken as the average might be another measure of central tendency, such as the mid-range, median, mode or geometric mean. For example, the average personal income is often given as the median the number below which are 50% of personal incomes and above which are 50% of personal incomes because the mean would be higher by including personal incomes from a few billionaires. General properties If all numbers in a list are the same number, then their average is also equal to this number. This property is shared by each of the many types of average. Another universal p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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G-force
The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for grams). It is used for sustained accelerations that cause a perception of weight. For example, an object at rest on Earth's surface is subject to 1 ''g'', equaling the conventional value of gravitational acceleration on Earth, about . More transient acceleration, accompanied with significant jerk (physics), jerk, is called Shock (mechanics), ''shock''. When the g-force is produced by the surface of one object being pushed by the surface of another object, the reaction force to this push produces an equal and opposite force for every unit of each object's mass. The types of forces involved are transmitted through objects by interior Stress (mechanics), mechanical stresses. Gravitational acceleration is one cause of an object's accelera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Oberth Effect
In astronautics, a powered flyby, or Oberth maneuver, is a maneuver in which a spacecraft falls into a gravitational well and then uses its engines to further accelerate as it is falling, thereby achieving additional speed. The resulting maneuver is a more efficient way to gain kinetic energy than applying the same impulse outside of a gravitational well. The gain in efficiency is explained by the Oberth effect, wherein the use of a reaction engine at higher speeds generates a greater change in mechanical energy than its use at lower speeds. In practical terms, this means that the most energy-efficient method for a spacecraft to burn its fuel is at the lowest possible orbital periapsis, when its orbital velocity (and so, its kinetic energy) is greatest. In some cases, it is even worth spending fuel on slowing the spacecraft into a gravity well to take advantage of the efficiencies of the Oberth effect. The maneuver and effect are named after the Transylvanian Saxon physicist an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Linear
In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a '' polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x)=(ax,bx) that maps the real line to a line in the Euclidean plane R2 that passes through the origin. An example of a linear polynomial in the variables X, Y and Z is aX+bY+cZ+d. Linearity of a mapping is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include the linear relationship of voltage and current in an electrical conductor ( Ohm's law), and the relationship of mass and weight. By contrast, more complicated relationships, such as between velocity and kinetic energy, are '' nonlinear''. Generalized for functions in more than one dimension, linearity means the property of a function of being compatible with addition and scaling, also known as the superposition principle. Linearity of a polynomial means that its de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Gravitational Acceleration
In physics, gravitational acceleration is the acceleration of an object in free fall within a vacuum (and thus without experiencing drag (physics), drag). This is the steady gain in speed caused exclusively by gravitational attraction. All bodies accelerate in vacuum at the same rate, regardless of the masses or compositions of the bodies; the measurement and analysis of these rates is known as gravimetry. At a fixed point on the surface, the magnitude of gravity of Earth, Earth's gravity results from combined effect of gravitation and the centrifugal force from Earth's rotation. At different points on Earth's surface, the free fall acceleration ranges from , depending on altitude, latitude, and longitude. A conventional standard gravity, standard value is defined exactly as 9.80665 m/s² (about 32.1740 ft/s²). Locations of significant variation from this value are known as gravity anomaly, gravity anomalies. This does not take into account other effects, such as buoyancy or d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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Effective Exhaust Velocity
Specific impulse (usually abbreviated ) is a measure of how efficiently a reaction mass engine, such as a rocket using propellant or a jet engine using fuel, generates thrust. In general, this is a ratio of the '' impulse'', i.e. change in momentum, ''per mass'' of propellant. This is equivalent to "thrust per massflow". The resulting unit is equivalent to velocity. If the engine expels mass at a constant exhaust velocity v_e then the thrust will be \mathbf = v_e \frac . If we integrate over time to get the total change in momentum, and then divide by the mass, we see that the specific impulse is equal to the exhaust velocity v_e . In practice, the specific impulse is usually lower than the actual physical exhaust velocity inefficiencies in the rocket, and thus corresponds to an "effective" exhaust velocity. That is, the specific impulse I_ in units of velocity *is defined by* : \mathbf = I_ \frac , where \mathbf is the average thrust. The practical meaning of the me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delta-v
Delta-''v'' (also known as "change in velocity"), symbolized as and pronounced , as used in spacecraft flight dynamics, is a measure of the impulse per unit of spacecraft mass that is needed to perform a maneuver such as launching from or landing on a planet or moon, or an in-space orbital maneuver. It is a scalar that has the units of speed. As used in this context, it is not the same as the physical change in velocity of said spacecraft. A simple example might be the case of a conventional rocket-propelled spacecraft, which achieves thrust by burning fuel. Such a spacecraft's delta-''v'', then, would be the change in velocity that spacecraft can achieve by burning its entire fuel load. Delta-''v'' is produced by reaction engines, such as rocket engines, and is proportional to the thrust per unit mass and the burn time. It is used to determine the mass of propellant required for the given maneuver through the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation. For multiple maneuvers, delta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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High Earth Orbit
A high Earth orbit is a geocentric orbit with an apsis, apogee farther than that of the geosynchronous orbit, which is height above mean sea level, away from Earth. In this article, the non-standard abbreviation of ''HEO'' is used for high Earth orbit. The development of HEO technology has had a significant impact on space exploration and has paved the way for future of space exploration, future missions to deep space exploration, deep space. The ability to place satellites in HEO has allowed scientists to make groundbreaking discoveries in astronomy and Earth science, while also enabling international communication, global communication and navigation systems. The Moon's Hill sphere is entered at a distance to the Moon of , lunar orbits until a distance of are unstable due to Earth's gravitational reach. Near-rectilinear halo orbits around the Moon are within these distances to the Moon, occupying cislunar space. Earth's hill sphere extends to a distance of , encompassing h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |