Why do rockets need so much fuel?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Must carry own oxygen and mass
Must carry own oxygen and mass ✓ — Correct! Unlike planes that use atmospheric oxygen, rockets must carry their own oxidizer. Plus, each bit of fuel needs more fuel to lift it! This 'tyranny of the rocket equation' means most of a rocket's weight is fuel.
Fuel burns inefficiently — Wrong. Rocket engines are actually quite efficient. The challenge is the basic physics of carrying your own propellant.
Engines are very heavy — Wrong. Engines are relatively small. The fuel mass dominates because rockets must carry both fuel AND oxygen.
More Transportation questions
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- Why isn't a go-around always possible at the last moment?
- Why doesn't a radioed 'Stop!' mean instant braking?
- Why can one runway emergency make a second mistake more likely?
- Why do runway crashes often come from several small failures at once?
- Why doesn't a jet's anti-collision system simply stop a runway crash?