How Do We Launch Things into Space?
You’ve probably seen beautiful photos of
Earth and other planets in our solar system.
Those photos were often captured by spacecraft
– robotic explorers doing their work far
away from Earth.
But how exactly do we send these spacecraft
so far away?
Well, it all starts with a rocket.
A really, really big one.
Why rockets?
A spacecraft – and basically everything
else on Earth – is held down by Earth’s
gravity.
However, a rocket burns fuel – called propellant
– to push away from Earth and against gravity.
This creates a force called thrust.
A rocket needs enough fuel – and thrust
– to speed up to at least 17,800 miles per
hour.
That’s how fast you have to get going to
fly above most of Earth’s atmosphere and
stay in orbit.
Next, the rocket will release the spacecraft.
But when that happens depends on where you’re
going.
A spacecraft that orbits Earth is sometimes
called a satellite.
A satellite is released from a rocket at a
specific distance from Earth.
There, it keeps going around Earth in a circular
path – an orbit.
This happens because there is a balance between
the energy the satellite picked up from the
rocket – called momentum – and the pull
of Earth’s gravity.
The balance of these two forces can keep a
satellite in orbit for many years!
But what happens if you want to go farther
than Earth?
If you’re trying to get to another planet,
you’ll need a fast rocket to overcome Earth’s
gravity.
And you’ll still need to release the spacecraft
from the rocket.
But you’ll also need to figure out the best
time to leave Earth to get to that planet.
Take Mars, for example.
Every two years or so, Mars and Earth are
closest together.
This is the best time to go to Mars, since
it will require the least amount of fuel and
time to get there.
And if you want to explore even farther planets like Saturn,
plan carefully!
For example, will your spacecraft want to
encounter Mars or Jupiter on its way to Saturn?
But don’t worry, all the planning is worth
it when you end up with a view like this one.
Find out more about our solar system at NASA
Space Place.
