Rocket fuel facts for kids

Rocket propellant or rocket fuel is like the special power drink for rockets! It's the stuff that makes them fly into space. This fuel can be a solid, a liquid, or even a gas. Most rockets we see are chemical rockets. They use a powerful fire to push them up.

Imagine it like this: most chemical rockets use two main parts. One is the fuel, like the wood for a campfire. The other is an oxidizer, which is like the match that lights the wood. When they mix and burn, they create a huge, strong fire. This fire makes the rocket blast off!

For example, the Space Shuttle had solid boosters that used powdered aluminium as fuel and a chemical called ammonium perchlorate as the oxidizer. Its main engines used super cold liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer.

Even a toy water rocket uses a gas, like compressed air, to push it up.

Types of Rocket Fuel

There are two main kinds of rocket fuel that help rockets fly:

Solid Rocket Fuel

This type is like a giant, hard block of fuel. It's made from different solid ingredients mixed and packed together. Once you light it, it burns until it's all gone. Solid rocket fuel is simple and very powerful. That's why it's often used for boosters. Boosters are the extra rockets that help lift the main rocket off the ground at launch.

Liquid Rocket Fuel

This fuel is made of liquid ingredients. These liquids are kept in separate tanks inside the rocket. When it's time to launch, pumps move the liquids into a special area called a combustion chamber. There, they mix and burn. Liquid rocket fuel is more complex than solid fuel. But it lets engineers control how much power the engine makes. They can even turn the engine on and off!

Common Rocket Fuels and Oxidizers

Let's look at some of the most common fuels and oxidizers used to power rockets:

Rocket Fuels

• Kerosene (RP-1): This is a special type of kerosene, similar to what jet planes use. It's not too expensive and is easy to handle. This makes it a popular choice for many rockets.
• Liquid hydrogen (LH2): This fuel is super light and very powerful. When it burns with oxygen, it only creates water vapor. This is good for our planet! But, it has to be kept extremely cold, which can be tricky.
• Methane (CH4): Methane is another promising fuel that's becoming more common. It burns cleaner than kerosene and can be easier to store than liquid hydrogen.

Rocket Oxidizers

• Liquid Oxygen (LOX): This is the most common oxidizer. It's very powerful and fairly easy to store.
• Nitrous Oxide (N2O): You might know this as "laughing gas" from the dentist! It can also be used as an oxidizer in rockets, especially smaller ones.
• Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2): This is a strong oxidizer. It can be used in both liquid and solid rocket fuels.

How Rocket Fuel Works

The amazing part of rocket fuel happens inside the rocket engine. Here's how it works:

• Mixing: The fuel and oxidizer are pumped or sent into a special area called the combustion chamber.
• Ignition: A spark or another source starts the burning process.
• Combustion: The fuel and oxidizer react together. This creates a fast and powerful explosion. This explosion makes very hot, high-pressure gases.
• Exhaust: These hot gases are forced out of the back of the rocket through a nozzle. The nozzle is shaped to make the gases go even faster. This creates thrust.
• Thrust: Thrust is the force that pushes the rocket forward. The faster the gases shoot out, the more thrust the rocket makes.

Rocket Milestones and Facts

• 1926: Robert Goddard, an American scientist, launched the very first rocket that used liquid fuel. It used gasoline as fuel and liquid oxygen as an oxidizer.
• World War II: The German V-2 rocket was the first long-range missile. It was designed by Wernher von Braun. It used liquid oxygen and alcohol as fuel.
• 1960s: During the exciting Space Race, the United States and the Soviet Union built super powerful rockets. They used liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to send astronauts to the Moon.
• Saturn V: The Saturn V rocket was used for the Apollo missions. It was the most powerful rocket ever built! It stood 363 feet (110 meters) tall. At liftoff, it produced 7.6 million pounds (34 million newtons) of thrust!
• Space Shuttle: The Space Shuttle used solid rocket boosters. These helped lift it into orbit. Each booster held over 1 million pounds (450,000 kilograms) of solid fuel.
• SpaceX Falcon 9: This modern rocket uses kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen. It can be partly reused, which helps make space travel cheaper.
• SpaceX Starship: This is a huge, fully reusable rocket being developed by SpaceX. It's designed to be the most powerful launch vehicle ever. It could carry over 100 metric tons into Earth orbit!

Fun Facts About Rocket Fuel

• Some rocket fuels are so strong they can burn through metal! That's why rocket engines are made of special materials that can handle extreme heat.
• Rocket fuel can be very dangerous. It's super important to handle it with great care and follow strict safety rules.
• Scientists are always working to create new and better rocket fuels. They want fuels that are more efficient, cleaner, and safer.
• The color of the flame from a rocket engine changes depending on the fuel. For example, a rocket using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen has a flame you can barely see. A rocket using kerosene makes a bright orange flame.
• The amount of rocket fuel needed to launch a rocket into space is huge. The Saturn V rocket, for instance, burned about 20,000 kilograms (44,000 pounds) of fuel every second!

The Future of Rocket Fuel

Scientists and engineers are always trying to make rocket fuel technology even better. Here are some exciting areas they are working on:

• Greener Fuels: They are developing fuels that produce less harmful pollution. These fuels would also be more sustainable for our planet.
• Higher Performance Fuels: They are creating fuels that can give rockets more thrust. This would let rockets travel farther and faster.
• Electric Propulsion: This uses electricity to speed up tiny charged particles called ions. This creates thrust. It's very efficient but makes less thrust than chemical rockets.
• Nuclear Propulsion: This uses nuclear reactions to heat a propellant and create thrust. This technology could allow for very long space missions, like traveling to other planets!

Images for kids

• 

  A Delta IV Heavy during liftoff. This rocket uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel.

See also

In Spanish: Propelente de cohetes para niños