ALL ABOUT ROCKETS

K Das S

Description

Who invented rockets? Why do we need them? How do rockets work? It may be rocket science; but it has never been easier to know all about rockets! Through 75 Q you will learn absolutely everything about rockets: Who makes them? How are they made? Who were the scientists who developed the science of rockets? What will the rockets of the future be like? These are just some of the fascinating questions answered in this book in easy-to-understand; jargon-free language. Accompanied by numerous illustrations; photographs and suggested experiments which will help you comprehend the principles of rocket science right in your home; All About Rockets tells all you ever wanted to know about these intriguing machines.

Sujets

• Children's

Informations

• Publié par: Penguin Books Ltd
• Date de parution: 07 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9788184752441
• Langue: English

Extrait

Who invented rockets?
Why do we need them?
How do rockets work?
I may be rocket science, but it has never been easier know all about rockets! Through seventy-five Q & As, you will learn absolutely everything about rockets:
Who makes them?
How are they made?
Who were the scientists who developed the science of rockets?
What will the rockets of the future be like?
These are just some of the fascinating questions answered in this book in easy-to-understand, jargon-free language. Accompanied by numerous illustrations, photographs and suggested experiments which will help you comprehend the principles of rocket science ght in your home, All About Rockets tells all you ever anted to know about these intriguing machines.
Cover illustration and design by Akanksha Kohli
PUFFIN BOOKS ALL ABOUT ROCKETS
S.K. Das is Honorary Advisor to ISRO. His book Touching Lives: The Little Known Triumphs of the India Space Programme (Penguin) won the Luigi Napolitano Book Award of the International Academy of Astronautics, and has been translated into many regional languages. He is also the author of Mission Moon: Exploring the Moon with Chandrayaan 1 (Puffin).
S.K. DAS
Foreword by Dr K. Radhakrishnan Chairman, ISRO
PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, India
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)
Penguin Group (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published in Puffin by Penguin Books India 2010
Text copyright © S.K. Das 2010
Photographs and illustrations copyright © ISRO 2010
Foreword copyright © K. Radhakrishnan 2010
All rights reserved
ISBN: 978-01-4333-130-8
This digital edition published in 2011.
e-ISBN : 978–81–8475–244-1
This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser and without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above-mentioned publisher of this e-book.
Contents

Copyright
Foreword
Introduction
The Early Rockets
Rocketry Becomes a Science
Pioneers of Modern Rocketry
How Rockets Work
Solid and Liquid Propellant Rockets
Making A Stable Rocket
Control Systems
Making Rockets Fly
The Space Age
The Elite Club
India’s Space Programme
Experiments
FOREWORD
The quest to understand the Universe around us, and how it has evolved through cosmic times, is one of humankind’s most fundamental endeavours. Space is a global resource that can bring benefits to everyone on Earth. Applications from space underpin many of today’s major sectors; they provide essential information to understand our planet’s environment, changing climate and weather; they enable great strides to be made in the scientific understanding of our solar system and beyond; and they provide innovative tools for enhancing our quality of life. Space offers new ways of helping us to respond to the defining challenges of today and tomorrow.
Rocketry has opened a window on the universe, allowing the launch of space probes to explore the solar system and space-based telescopes to obtain a clearer view of the rest of the Universe. Further, rocketry enables us to put satellites into orbits around Earth, many of which impact people’s everyday lives in almost countless ways.
India has effectively developed rocket technology and has applied it successfully and, today, it offers a variety of space services globally.
It is necessary to provide exposure to our students in primary and middle schools to the achievements of the country in the area of space science and technology whilst encouraging young people to consider careers in science and technology. Towards this there is an urgent need for books, which can explain the concepts and elements of space and rocket technology in an accessible way.
Shri S.K. Das’ book All About Rockets is a welcome and timely development in this direction. The book takes the reader through the history of rocketry in India and elsewhere in the world. Also, through the book, the author provides fun and easy experiments you can do at home to understand the complex concepts of rocket motion in plain, simple, straightforward language challenging and intriguing the reader, whilst having fun learning. The hands-on experiments grab the attention and increase the understanding of the world of rockets, how rockets work, how they are designed, etc. The book also gives a detailed account of the development of rockets for meeting the requirements of Indian space programme.
Science is not something mysterious. Being ‘scientific’ involves being curious, observing, asking how things happen, and learning how to find the answers. A striking feature of this book is the details that are provided in the form of question and answers covering practically all the aspects of rocket technology such as aerodynamics, control systems, propulsion systems and so on.
The language in the text is very lucid and easy to understand. The book is presented with lots of pictures and diagrams to help young minds develop as they explore. This book is an enthusiastic celebration of many such aspects. I fervently compliment and warmly congratulate Shri Das, who has been a part of Indian Space Research Organisation for the last two decades in various capacities for having taken this great initiative.
This rare ‘not so technical yet technical’ book truly captivates me. I am sure this will be a useful companion not only for students sparking interest in engineering and science, but also others interested in rocket technology. I am sure Shri Das will continue to bring out books aimed at young readers in other related branches of space science and technology.
I also pay my special compliments to Penguin Books India for bringing out this book in a fine format.
K. Radhakrishnan Bangalore
INTRODUCTION
Rockets were invented more than 2,000 years ago. Fire arrows, invented by the Chinese, were the first true rockets. They had a very simple design, with gunpowder as fuel. The gunpowder was packed in a paper tube. When the rocket was lit, the powder burned and the rocket produced a large amount of hot gases. The gases pushed against the inside of the rocket and shot out of the bottom end, sending the rocket upwards in the opposite direction.
Rockets have come a long way since then. Fire arrows were not very reliable. Many exploded when launched. Others were erratic and landed in the wrong places. Being a rocketeer in those days of fire arrows was exciting, no doubt, but rather dangerous.
Today’s rockets are much bigger and far more reliable. They fly on precise courses and travel fast enough to defy Earth’s gravity. Rockets are also more efficient today because we have an understanding of the scientific principles behind rocketry. This understanding has helped us build rockets that are very powerful and can go on long trips.
The reach of today’s rockets is awesome. Men have travelled enormous distances deep into space on these rockets and have walked on the Moon. Spacecraft flown on these rockets have visited almost all the planets of our solar system. And, astronauts have spent years orbiting our planet Earth using them.
It has been an amazing journey from the simple fire arrows to the powerful rockets that now take us deep into space. But the mighty space rockets of today are the results of thousands of years of invention, experimentation and discovery. Yet the work done by rocket pioneers in the early days is often lost in the shadows of time. That is why we need to realize that today’s rockets are collections of human ingenuity that have their roots in the science and technology of the past. In the fantastic story that began more than 2,000 years ago, rockets have evolved from simple fireworks to complex machines capable of mind-boggling flights.
Rockets are still the only means of travelling through space. Soon, we will travel to the Moon to establish a colony there and later extend our journey to Mars and beyond. Still further in the future, we would be travelling throughout the universe. As the Star Trek television series said in its opening theme, this will be ‘to seek out new life, new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before.’
Where we go and how we will go there will depend on the rocket scientists of tomorrow, many of whom may be from among you, the reader, who are sitting in classrooms today. This book is for you. The book tells you the story of rockets by answering questions which are often asked about rocketry. In the pages of this book you will meet the dreamers and inventors who paved the way for the fantastic future of rocketry. You will learn about rocket science and what rocket scientists do. And you will learn why rockets