| MAIN PROPULSION COMPONENTS | ||
All modern rocket engines have a nozzle to further increase their thrust efficiency. A nozzle is a relatively simple device, just a specially shaped tube through which the hot gases flow. However, the mathematics which describe the operation of the nozzle take some careful thought. The nozzle for the pressurized gases is not just any opening. It is specially designed to open outward like an ice cream cone. This makes the gases exit even faster, which in turn, gives more thrust. Typical rocket exhaust velocities for chemical rockets range between 5,000 and 10,000 mph (8,000 - 16,000 kph). In the case of the Shuttle boosters, the nozzle design produces an exhaust at a speed of perhaps 6,000 mph (9,600 kph). |
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