rocket equation

English
An Atlas V rocket. It will launch New Horizons. Thanks to the rocket equation, the rocket was huge relative to its payload: over a thousand times heavier than New Horizons itself. Moral: rockets are a brutally inefficient way to get into space.

Noun

rocket equation (uncountable)

  1. The equation for how much delta-v a rocket produces: Δv = ve ln(m0/m1); where Δv is delta-v, ve is effective exhaust velocity, ln is the natural log function, m0 is initial mass of the rocket, and m1 is final mass of the rocket.
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