In a
rocket
A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...
,
weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
, or
transportation
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
system (such as
personal rapid transit
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also referred to as podcars or guided/railed taxis, is a public transport mode featuring a network of specially built guideways on which ride small automated vehicles that carry few (generally less than 6) passenge ...
), parasitic mass is the
mass
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
of all components of the system that are not considered
payloads
Payload is the object or the entity that is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of t ...
.
A typical
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
objective is to drive the parasitic mass towards zero. Efficiency gains are achieved as the parasitic mass is reduced.
References
*{{cite web , title=On the Parasitic Mass of Launch Packages for Electromagnetic Guns , url=http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADP012472 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223040/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADP012472 , url-status=dead , archive-date=March 3, 2016 , publisher=DTIC, US Government.
Aircraft weight measurements