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Where does the thrust act in a rocket engine and how is it transferred to rocket structure?
A rocket engine is basically a device that generates a high pressure inside the chamber and the pressure difference creates a force.
A nozzle helps in effectively accelerating the flow and increases the thrust.
But where exactly would the thrust…
karthikeyan
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Why are the Falcon Heavy boosters stacked in a row instead of a triangle?
I wonder if triangle stack would be a better design to handle thrust and stability of the flight.
Photo source (public domain).
mal
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Would terraforming Venus destroy its ionosphere?
In "Can Venus be made habitable?" we see that Venus's atmosphere would have to be substantially altered in order to terraform Venus.
"Why has Venus's atmosphere not been stripped away by solar wind?" tells us that even though Venus has no magnetic…
called2voyage
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Do astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) actually use their legs?
The European Space Agency writes to say
◾The applicant must have the normal range of motion and functionality in all joints.
Historically, IMHO, astronauts came from a flight/test-pilot background. Physical fitness may have been mandatory for…
Everyone
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How did NASA determine the distance and velocity of voyager 1?
According to Wikipedia
At a distance of about 125.97 AU (1.884 × 10$^{10}$ km) from the Sun as of September 9, 2012, it is the farthest manmade object from Earth
As of 2013, the probe was moving with a relative velocity to the Sun of about 17…
Hash
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Why won't SpaceX launch a rocket for a month?
The last launch of a Falcon 9 (Intelsat 35e) took place on July 5, but the next launch of a falcon 9 (CRS-12) won't take place until August 10. Elon said that SpaceX still had 12 launches to go this year to finish their manifest for this year. So…
Jake Blocker
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Is a magnetic field really needed to terraform Mars?
I see so many discussions about how the main roadblock to terraforming Mars is its lack of a magnetic field. If Mars had an atmosphere as thick as Earth's but no magnetic field, wouldn't it still take geological time scales for the solar wind to…
Tim51092
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How do iPads on the ISS know which way is "up" for their users?
The question What makes smartphones tilt-sensitive? Will they retain this ability in zero-gravity conditions? brought to mind the video of astronaut Steven Swanson's detailed tour of the ISS, in which he frequently referred to external images of the…
uhoh
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What are the dark areas on the moon?
The Moon has a large number of dark spots, as can be seen on the photo below (Wikipedia), that differ significantly from the lighter areas. The dark areas often seem to be roundish, but not exclusively. What is the source of the darker areas of the…
PearsonArtPhoto
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Could a spacecraft be made out of wood?
Could a spacecraft use organic materials, like wood or bone or shell or other tissues, as an interface to the vacuum and radiation of space? Would wood outgas and crack up in space? I wonder if life on Earth has evolved materials, without human…
LocalFluff
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Is there any money in space?
Currently everything used by astronauts in space gets there via a state/government sponsored lift. Astronauts can also bring a few personal supplies, but I imagine that most if not all financial considerations occur at government level…
James Jenkins
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How does a single SRB control attitude?
The Ares I-X was a test flight from the Constellation program for crewed Ares I-launched Orion capsules.
If liquid fueled rocket motors can gimbal, how do solid rocket motor-propelled spacecraft control their attitude, especially when performing a…
IT Bear
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Why was Space Shuttle Atlantis selected for Mir docking so frequently?
In this answer @RussellBorogove discussed the frequency of dockings of each space shuttle with the Mir space station. I've summarized those frequencies, total number of missions flown, and year of first and last flight below.
Not counting the…
uhoh
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How are the tiny spacecraft proposed by Project Starshot supposed to communicate with Earth?
Between power limitations and aperture-limited diffraction I just can't see how it's possible.
Schlusstein
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How long did it take, at a minimum, to prep a shuttle for launch after it landed?
The Space Shuttle relied on a pair of SRBs, and fuel supplement in the External Tank for it's launch.
Assuming Payload, Service parts/consumables, Crews, SRBs, and ET were ready -
How long did it take, at a minimum, to prep a shuttle for launch…
Everyone
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