ROCKETLAB / EDUCATIONAL ENGINEERING
Think about thrust. Explore the relationships.
Investigate specific impulse and mass ratio using the ideal rocket equation. This tool is not an engine design, flight simulation or calculation of actual mission performance.
01 / MODEL INPUTS
Effective exhaust velocity divided by standard gravitational acceleration.
Both masses include the payload. m₀ must be greater than mƒ.
02 / IDEAL VELOCITY CHANGE
Gravity, drag, variable thrust, manoeuvres and structural constraints are excluded. The displayed values are not the performance of a SpaceTRC vehicle.
INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS INFOGRAPHIC
A spacecraft is a set of systems working together.
CONSIDER THE SYSTEMS TOGETHER
Science payload
The sensor, experiment or observing system that turns a mission’s scientific question into data. Payload requirements affect power, communications, attitude and orbit selection together.
CONSIDER THE SYSTEMS TOGETHER
Avionics and control
Includes electronic and software systems for measurement, communication and control. Understanding spacecraft status and executing commands require coordination between systems.
CONSIDER THE SYSTEMS TOGETHER
Power and structure
Electrical power generation, storage and distribution are considered alongside structural integrity and environmental conditions. This drawing simplifies subsystem relationships.
CONSIDER THE SYSTEMS TOGETHER
Propulsion and mass budget
Carrying and consuming propellant changes the spacecraft’s mass ratio. The ideal rocket equation describes this relationship; actual missions also account for losses and additional requirements.
The diagram is not to scale; it introduces the subsystems.
Spacecraft systems guide ↗THINK THROUGH MISSION STAGES
Mass decreases. The mission stage changes.
Stage separation reduces the mass carried after it is no longer needed. The drawing below simplifies the main phases of a flight.
First phase: body and stages are shown together.