Paragraph on “Rockets” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

Rockets

A rocket like a jet engine burns fuel to produce hot gases which it releases from the rear thus giving it the thrust to fly up into the air. However rockets are different from jet engines, since rockets fly up to high altitudes where no oxygen is present in the air, they have to carry their own supply of oxygen. On the other hand jet engines in aeroplanes draw the oxygen from the air which is why they have a limitation of altitude.

A rocket is generally made up of different parts, each part known as a ‘stage’, having it’s own engine and fuel supply tanks containing liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Multiple engines and fuel tanks are essential because as each fuel supply is exhausted, starting with the lower most, that part of the rocket is detached and dropped so that further ascent becomes easier because of the lighter load. The uppermost portion of the rocket carries the spacecraft with the astronauts, or the satellite which is to be put into orbit. This section once again has a small engine and limited fuel supply to help in correcting it’s orbital direction, or for the return to earth. Rockets owe their origin to war and weaponry since there was need of a missile which could carry an explosive. Accordingly the first rockets for this purpose were developed by the Chinese and, the Mongols. Subsequently the first rockets put to use during the war the `V-2′ rocket were built by the Germans during World War-II and used with a devastating effect during the raids on London. Though rocket technology has changed over the years, it is still on one hand being used to make missiles of all sizes for war and on the other for launching men and satellites into space, or for use as means of distress signals. Over the years Rockets and space craft are being made in a manner which allows them to be re-used thus saving large amounts of money. The space shuttle, and its booster rockets are an example of this.