A rocket (from Italian: rocchetto, lit. ''bobbin/spool'', and so named for its shape) [nb 1][1] 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. [2] .

Sep 21, 2010 · When most people think of a rocket, they think of a tall round vehicle that flies into space. But the word “rocket” can mean two different things. The word can describe a type of engine. The word rocket also is used to talk about a vehicle that uses a rocket engine.

Feb 4, 2025 · What is a rocket? A rocket is used to carry a spacecraft from Earth’s surface to space, usually to low Earth orbit or beyond, and is sometimes called a launch vehicle. Although rockets may appear similar, no two are alike because they are complex devices with millions of pieces and systems that must be calculated and constructed to work together.

Jul 13, 2011 · “Rocket” can mean a type of engine. The word also can mean a vehicle that uses that engine. NASA’s Saturn V rocket carried humans to the moon. How Does a Rocket Engine Work? Like most engines, rockets burn fuel. Most rocket engines turn the fuel into hot gas. The engine pushes the gas out its back. The gas makes the rocket move forward.

Jan 4, 2019 · These craft and their engines, called rockets, have taken on many roles as fireworks, signal flares, and weapons of war. But since the 1950s, rockets also have let us send robots, animals, and...

Feb 2, 2025 · Rocket, any of a type of jet-propulsion device carrying either solid or liquid propellants that provide both the fuel and oxidizer required for combustion. The term is commonly applied to any of various vehicles, including firework skyrockets, guided missiles, and launch vehicles used in spaceflight.

Rockets are devices that produce the force, or push, needed to move an object forward. Rockets are used to launch spacecraft. They are also used to shoot missiles and fireworks. Rockets carry fuel that is burned inside a chamber. The fuel burns …

Jan 14, 2025 · We launch things into space by putting them on rockets with enough fuel — called propellant — to boost them above most of Earth’s atmosphere. Once a rocket reaches the right distance from Earth, it releases the satellite or spacecraft. Watch this video about how we launch things into space!

Nov 21, 2023 · The Beginner’s Guide to Rockets will help you learn the basic math and physics that govern the design and flight of rockets. We’ll look at many different kinds of rockets, from stomp rockets, which are a special kind of artillery shell, …

Sep 28, 2023 · A space rocket is a vehicle with a very powerful jet engine designed to carry people or equipment beyond Earth and out into space. If we define space as the region outside Earth's atmosphere, that means there's not enough oxygen to fuel the kind of conventional engine you'd find on a jet plane.