Launch Definition and 352 Threads

A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket-propelled vehicle used to carry a payload from Earth's surface to space, usually to Earth orbit or beyond. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, launch pad, vehicle assembly and fuelling systems, range safety, and other related infrastructure.Orbital launch vehicles can be grouped based on many different factors, most notably payload mass, although price points are a major concern for some users. Most launch vehicles have been developed by or for national space programs, with considerable national prestige attached to spaceflight accomplishments. Payloads include crewed spacecraft, satellites, robotic spacecraft, scientific probes, landers, rovers, and many more.
Orbital spaceflight is difficult and expensive, with progress limited by the underlying technology as much as human and societal factors.

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  1. R

    Projectile launch at elevated height on angle

    Homework Statement a baseball player hits a home run. The ball's velocity as it leaves the bat is 45m/s at an angle of 36.9° above the horizontal. At the point of impact with the bat, the ball is 1 m above ground level, and as it clears the fence it is back down to 11 m above ground level...
  2. M

    The rocket launch and changing gravity

    When a rocket is launched, it starts not with velocity zero, but with the rotation velocity which the Earth gives it. Thus if a rocket is launched eastward, it requires a smaller boost (and if westward, a larger one) to achieve orbit. with a latitude of 31.1 degrees, cos(31degrees) 24902/24 =...
  3. K

    Landing Ramp Distance Required for Stunt Car Launch

    Homework Statement A stunt car is driven from a 10° ramp at 40m/s. How far away should the landing ramp be. (It lands at the same level as it was launched from.)Homework Equations Answer is 54.7mThe Attempt at a Solution v^2 = u^2 + 2as (v^2 - u^2)/(2a) = s (0 - 40^2) / (2 x 9.8) = -81.6
  4. T

    Calculating the Height of a Frictionless Loop Launch

    At the top of a "frictionless" loop that is 75 cm high, a 75 Kg ball bearing is traveling at 1.9m/s. From what height was the ball released? I have absolutely no Idea where to start here. Diameter= 0.075m Velocity=1.9m/s Force related to Gravity=0.74N m=0.075Kg
  5. M

    Finding Horizontal Displacement for Spring Cannon Launch

    A spring cannon is located at the edge of a table that is 1.2 m above the floor. A steel ball is launched from the cannon with speed Vo at 35.0 degrees above the horizontal. (a) Find the horizontal displacement component of the ball tothe point where it lands on the floor as a function of Vo...
  6. J

    Easy Question: Formula for Launch Angle? Projectile Motion.

    Edit: I solved my problem for launch angle. So now I have another question. I am writing a script for a cannon in a video game that will aim at XYZ coordinates by determining the angle and bearing needed to launch the projectile to hit the target. I wish to add a target-leading formula so...
  7. P

    Robot vision distance sensing & launch tube design

    So, For FIRST FRC robotics, We have made 3 different objectives to research, and I decides to start with the projectile. We need to launch an 8" diameter foam basketball into a goal that's 18" diameter. We can be anywhere from 3feet to 54 feet away. We had an idea of using the classic...
  8. K

    Optics - reduce image and launch into optical fiber

    Dear all, I'd like to know if there is a way of reducing an image and launching it into the core of an optical fiber. By other words, I'm not interested in the spatial distribution of the light (the image itself) but I'm interested in gathering all the light coming from the scene and...
  9. T

    Relations between Angle of Launch, Range & Flight Time

    1. How do angle of launch, range, and flight time relate to one each other? 2.ΔX=vcosθ*t [b]3. According to the equation above,in my opinion as θ increases, range should decrease and time(t) should increase. Is there any other way of knowing the relation?
  10. C

    Finding Initial Velocity for Projectile Launch at Angle Theta

    How to find the initial velocity required for a projectile to be launched at an angle theta, with a distance 'd' and height 'h'. An expression is required. I am unable to find one using all three. Thanks in advance.
  11. P

    Discovering the Optimum Angle of Launch for a 1.5m Projectile

    I've been trying to determine the optimun angle of launch 1,5 metres above the ground by pooceeding from the basic equations for throwing motions: x=vcosθ*t y=y0+vsinθ*t-gt^2/2, y0=1,5m, g=9,8m/s^2 What I've done so far is expressing t as x/vcosθ. Insertion in the equation for y gives...
  12. P

    Help w/ projecetile motion w/ angled launch problem

    Homework Statement A bowling ball rolls off an angled roof. The roof is sloped downward at 18.4°, and the eaves are 12.0m above the ground.If it lands 2.0m away from the building how fast was it rolling when it left the roof(i.e find Vi). Homework Equations I know I have to use the...
  13. E

    Will this idea launch a projectile? Weapon.

    I am making a weapon of sorts and am curious if it will work. the project consists of two tubes, a smaller one inside a larger one. To the outer tube there is a slingshot attached, the inner one contains a projectile(arrow, spear, BB, rock). the inner tube is drawn outside of the outer tube...
  14. M

    How Do You Calculate the Correct Launch Angle for a Projectile?

    Homework Statement Vy - 15m Vx - 40m U - 17m/s V - 0 Time to reach highest point (t) 1.7s Homework Equations cos 0 = a/c The Attempt at a Solution 72 degrees. Not sure if this is the correct method of calculating the angle, especially since a projectile's trajectory is a...
  15. P

    Help w/ projecetile motion w/ angled launch problem

    Homework Statement A bowling ball rolls off an angled roof. The roof is sloped downward at 18.4 degrees and it is 12m above the ground. The question is how long does it take the ball to hit the ground?Homework Equations Δx=viΔt+1/2a(Δt)^2 I know this is the equation I have to use but I'm having...
  16. F

    How much additional altitude can rocket obtain with launch assist.

    Homework Statement We have 2 model rockets identical in all ways (weight, height, mass, propellant, etc). The first rocket is launched like most rockets (0 ft/sec) and reaches 1000ft. For the second rocket we use a SUPER rubberband launch system. The launch system sends the rocket to say, 150...
  17. H

    Launch speed to reach a given orbital altitude

    Homework Statement [EDIT: My first statement of the problem was wrong.] 1. The space shuttle releases a satellite into a circular orbit 720 km above the Earth. How fast must the shuttle be moving (relative to Earth) when the release occurs?Homework Equations F=GmM/r^2 Fc = mv^2/rThe Attempt...
  18. P

    Spring on a ramp to launch a box

    1. Homework Statement A spring on a wooden ramp has a spring constant of 453 N/M. A small cube is to be launched and has a mass of 97 grams. Ramp angle from the horizontal is 52 degrees above the horizontal. For simplicity, assume that the part of the wooden ramp which is underneath the...
  19. D

    Rocket Launch: Solving for Height and Time

    Homework Statement A rocket is launched off and accelerates vertically up at 10 m/s 2. At 20 seconds, the motors are turned off, but the rocket keeps going up. a) What height did it reach? b) What was the time it needed to reach that height? g: - 9.8 m/s2 a: 10 m/s2 final velocity: 0 m/s...
  20. W

    Cannonball Launch Homework: Find Range & Vy

    Homework Statement A cannonball is catapulted toward a castle. The cannonball's velocity when it leaves the catapult is 32 m/s at an angle of 50° with respect to the horizontal and the cannonball is 7.0 m above the ground at this time. a) Assuming the cannonball makes it over the castle...
  21. C

    Projectile Motion: Find Launch Speed

    Homework Statement Your alpine rescue team is using a slingshot to send an emergency medical packet to climbers stranded on a ledge on the side of a mountain. If the height of the ledge is 270m (y = 270m) and the ledge is 390m from the slingshot (x = 390m), what is the initial velocity of...
  22. M

    Motions with zero launch angle.

    Homework Statement A hot-air balloon rises from the ground with a velocity of (3.00m/s)y. A champagne bottle is opened to celebrate takeoff, expelling the cork horizontally with a velocity of (4.00m/s)x relative to the balloon. When opened, the bottle is 5.00m above the ground. What is...
  23. QuarkCharmer

    How High Will a Failing Rocket Reach?

    Homework Statement A 7600 kg rocket blasts off vertically from the launch pad with a constant upward acceleration of 2.35 m/s^2 and feels no appreciable air resistance. When it has reached a height of 570 m, its engines suddenly fail so that the only force acting on it is now gravity...
  24. G

    Projectiles: Launch speed and horizontal distance

    New to the forums, just starting a physics 11 course online and having some troubles with formulas. Homework Statement Projectile shot straight upwards, flight time = 4.70 sec Second Launch at 45 degrees (horizontal range approx. 50-60 meters A) Find Launch Velocity B) Find...
  25. K

    Calculating Launch Speed and Time Interval in Projectile Motion

    A cart launches a ball 15cm high. The vertical distance from the lowest ball to the highest is about two cart heights or 30cm. Estimate the launch speed of the ball? Estimate the time interval between successive stroboscopic exposures? I honestly have no idea where to begin...
  26. S

    Projectile Motion: Finding the correct angle for a launch

    Homework Statement A Hollywood daredevil plans to jump the canyon shown in the figure on a motorcycle. There is a 15. m drop and the horizontal distance originally planned was 60. m but it turns out the canyon is really 69.4 m across. If he desires a 3.0-second flight time, what is the...
  27. A

    What Is the Minimum Launch Angle to Hit a Target 200ft Away?

    I wasn't able to figure this problem out, so I looked at the answer. The answer is 19.06 degrees and 2.116 seconds. Using these values in the kinematic equations, I calculated that at x=200 ft, the height of the projectile is y=50ft. When x=200ft, shouldn't y=0ft? I thought the problem is asking...
  28. P

    Possible webpage title: Projectile Launch and Landing: Key Questions to Consider

    The Statement is: A projectile is launched so that its point of launch is lower than its point of landing. I have 5 questions based off this statement, I know these questions may seem easy but I just wanted to make sure I had them right before handing my assignment in. I have a tendency to...
  29. marcus

    New Mars rover launch 2011 (Curiosity, YouTube, eta August 2012))

    Beautiful animation. Landing system is novel and elegant. Hovering rocket platform lowers the vehicle on a cable to the the ground and then goes away. A lot of the deceleration work at Mars is done by the planet's atmosphere, saving fuel weight. Great stuff. Launch of "Curiosity" is...
  30. S

    How does the launch altitude alter the range of a missile?

    Let's say, a missile fired from ground level is limited in range by aerodynamic and drag factors upto 3 kms. So how would that range be altered if the missile is fired from an altitude of 5 kms above mean sea level? What are the factors we need to take into consideration to calculate its range...
  31. dlgoff

    NASA Did You Know Today Is NASA’s Last Shuttle Launch?

    I thought today would be a good time to give NASA some thanks for all the http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/spinoffs_feature_k_4.html" , being it's the last Shuttle mission to lift off today. Thank you NASA.
  32. R

    Rocket launch pad powered by liner actuator

    Hello, I'm trying to build this, but I'm confused a bit about the optimal cheaper way of getting it working, it should be working on 12v battery car and cover 0-90 degree of movement , I've in mind couple of simple ideas, I think I can't build a complicated one like military launch pads...
  33. E

    Projectile motion problem involving finding launch angle

    1. OK so if you imagine a projectile is fired with an inital velocity (u) of 400 m/s at an angle theta. What two values of theta will cause the projectile to hit a point b that is 5 km horizontally away from the point of launch and 1.5 km vertically? u (magnitude)= 400 m/s deltaH = 1500 m (1.5...
  34. J

    Projectile Motion: Water Balloon Launch Project

    For a water balloon launch project, our students need to calculate the distance that the balloon will travel given the following information: K- the spring constant of the launcher the mass of the water balloon the angle of launch the distance that the launcher is pulled back. Can...
  35. A

    Delta-V Correction needed after launch?

    Hi guys, I want to know - roughly - how much delta-V a satellite must expend to get from its launch insertion orbit to its final orbit. Let us assume that we're putting a LEO craft up. The launcher is has the performance to reach this orbit, and is launched at the right time and...
  36. U

    Minimal Launch Velocity needed

    Homework Statement A small negatively charged particle (mass m, charge –q) is currently at rest at the surface of a large positively and uniformly charged dielectric sphere (radius R, charge density p). What minimal “Launch velocity” v0 should be given to this particle so that it could leave...
  37. QuarkCharmer

    Attend or Miss Out: Final Shuttle Launch

    I want to make it out to the final shuttle launch, but this would be a rather costly trip for me to make. The shuttle Endeavor is scheduled for Monday which might be the last launch, but the Atlantis is scheduled for June 28, if it is funded. What should I do? I haven't been to the space...
  38. V

    Find the Launch Speed for a 20m High Projectile

    Homework Statement The maximum height reached by a projectile is 20 m. The direction of the velocity 1.0 s after launch is 20°. Find the speed of launch. Homework Equations vertical component of velocity = u \sin\theta - gt horizontal component of velocity = u\cos\theta where theta...
  39. D

    How Do You Calculate the Distance a Block Travels Off a Ramp?

    Homework Statement A block is being launch off a ramp, the length of the ramp is 5m(hypotenuse). The ramp also has a kinetic coefficient of .2 and the block has an initial velocity of 12m/s. Homework Equations -Wx-uFn = ma Velocity equations for finding distance off the rampThe Attempt at a...
  40. R

    Second moment of area of Launch Vehicle adapter model

    I'm designing a model launch vehicle adapter (hollow truncated cone) with top diameter 60mm and lower diameter 80mm with a height of 1000mm. The skin thickness vary between options of 1.2mm 1.5mm and 2mm and I am trying to identify natural frequency. The issue is with second moment of inertia I...
  41. mugaliens

    Did Someone Capture the Last Space Shuttle Launch from a Plane?

    Taken through an airliner's window. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d1_1298750838".
  42. dlgoff

    Discovery shuttle poised for historic final launch

    http://daysnews.net/9676-discovery-shuttle-poised-for-historic-final-launch.html" What a great accomplishment. Good Luck Discovery.
  43. FtlIsAwesome

    Possibility of Supersized Blimps for High-Altitude Space launch

    Could supersized blimps, filled with helium, hydrogen, or a mix of those two or a vacuum support an elevator cable at high altitudes for easier spacelaunch? I'm thinking around an altitude of 80-120 km, but they could possibly float at other heights. Would such a structure require carbon...
  44. P

    Why Hasn't Low-Cost Space Launch Technology Been Developed Yet?

    Why is there no low cost space launch technology? The cost to buy the energy (in the form of electricity) required is very low (don't have the number on me).
  45. S

    Spring constant, vertical ball launch speed.

    Ok I have most of this solved but can't get the third part right. Homework Statement A spring of spring constant 128N/m is compressed a distance of 2.0m from its equilibrium position, and used to project a ball of mass 4.0 kg directly upwards. Neglect air resistance. 1. What is the...
  46. L

    How does a rocket launch straight up?

    Normally, one would think that an object generating large amounts of thrust would fly all over the place with no clear direction. How does a rocket stabilize and launch perfectly straight up?
  47. Ivan Seeking

    Mystery Missile Launch in California

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/pentagon-stumped-by-apparent-missile-launch-off-us-coast/article1791785/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeXNC8k9FKU
  48. H

    Using onlyHow do you calculate the launch speed of an object

    How do you calculate the launch speed of an object using only the distance it travels the angle of launch? If there is an equation, I would be very happy if you could tell me what it is. This is the only thing I need.
  49. A

    Calculating Kinetic Energy for a Satellite Launch

    Homework Statement So I just finished a physics test and I'm not sure if I approached a question correctly... Our professor gave us the mass of a satellite, and the mass of an imaginary planet and its radius. Then he gave us the amount of initial kinetic energy given to the satellite when...
  50. M

    Projectile Motion: Negative Launch Angles?

    Hello everyone! This is my first post, and I regret that it has to be a question that is so elementary. The Problem: I am in an introductory engineering course in which we were divided into teams and told to construct a catapult. Rather than follow design requirements, and despite my...
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