Editing Rocket (section)

==Uses==
Rockets or other similar [[reaction engine|reaction devices]] carrying their own propellant must be used when there is no other substance (land, water, or air) or force ([[gravity]], [[magnetism]], [[light]]) that a [[vehicle]] may usefully employ for propulsion, such as in space. In these circumstances, it is necessary to carry all the [[propellant]] to be used.

However, they are also useful in other situations:

===Military===
{{main|Rocket artillery|Missile}}
[[File:Trident II missile image.jpg|upright|thumb|A [[Trident (missile)|Trident II missile]] launched from sea]]

Some military weapons use rockets to propel [[warhead]]s to their targets. A rocket and its payload together are generally referred to as a ''[[missile]]'' when the weapon has a [[guidance system]] (not all missiles use rocket engines, some use other engines such as [[jet engine|jets]]) or as a ''[[rocket (weapon)|rocket]]'' if it is unguided. Anti-tank and [[Surface-to-air missile|anti-aircraft missiles]] use rocket engines to engage targets at high speed at a range of several miles, while [[intercontinental ballistic missiles]] can be used to deliver multiple [[nuclear warheads]] from thousands of miles, and [[anti-ballistic missile]]s try to stop them. Rockets have also been tested for [[reconnaissance]], such as the [[Ping-Pong (rocket)|Ping-Pong rocket]], which was launched to surveil enemy targets, however, recon rockets have never come into wide use in the military.

===Science and research===
{{See also|Space probe}}
[[File:Bumper.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Bumper (rocket)|Bumper]] sounding rocket]]
[[Sounding rocket]]s are commonly used to carry instruments that take readings from {{convert|50|km|mi|sp=us}} to {{convert|1500|km|mi|sp=us}} above the surface of the Earth.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Elaine|last1=Marconi |title=What is a Sounding Rocket?|url=http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/f_sounding.html|publisher=NASA|access-date=28 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602020154/http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/f_sounding.html|archive-date=2 June 2016}}</ref>
The [[first images of Earth from space]] were obtained from a [[V-2]] rocket in 1946 ([[V-2 No. 13|flight #13]]).<ref name="APL">{{cite journal|last=Fraser|first=Lorence|year=1985|title=High Altitude Research at the Applied Physics Laboratory in the 1940s|journal=Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest|volume=6|issue=1|pages=92–99|url=https://www.jhuapl.edu/Content/techdigest/pdf/V06-N01/06-01-Fraser.pdf|access-date=18 October 2016}}</ref>

Rocket engines are also used to propel [[rocket sled]]s along a rail at extremely high speed. The world record for this is Mach 8.5.<ref>{{cite web |title=Test sets world land speed record |url=https://www.af.mil/News/story/storyID/123004755/ |publisher=www.af.mil |access-date=2008-03-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601084727/http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123004755 |archive-date=June 1, 2013 }}</ref>

===Spaceflight===
{{Main|Spaceflight}}

Larger rockets are normally launched from a [[launch pad]] that provides stable support until a few seconds after ignition. Due to their high exhaust velocity—{{convert|2500|to|4500|m/s|km/h mph|abbr=on}}—rockets are particularly useful when very high speeds are required, such as orbital speed at approximately {{convert|7800|m/s|km/h mph|abbr=on}}. Spacecraft delivered into orbital trajectories become [[artificial satellites]], which are used for many commercial purposes. Indeed, rockets remain the only way to launch [[spacecraft]] into orbit and beyond.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html |title=Spaceflight Now – worldwide launch schedule |publisher=Spaceflightnow.com |access-date=2012-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911172414/http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html |archive-date=2013-09-11 }}</ref> They are also used to rapidly accelerate spacecraft when they change orbits or de-orbit for [[landing]]. Also, a rocket may be used to soften a hard parachute landing immediately before touchdown (see [[retrorocket]]).

===Rescue===
[[File:Apollo Pad Abort Test -2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Apollo LES [[pad abort test]] with [[Boilerplate (spaceflight)|boilerplate]] crew module]]
Rockets were used to propel a line to a stricken ship so that a [[Breeches buoy]] can be used to [[rescue]] those on board. Rockets are also used to launch [[flare|emergency flare]]s.

Some crewed rockets, notably the [[Saturn V]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apollosaturn.com/asnr/escape.htm |title=Apollo launch escape subsystem |publisher=ApolloSaturn |access-date=2012-12-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716192337/http://www.apollosaturn.com/asnr/escape.htm |archive-date=2012-07-16 }}</ref> and [[Soyuz (rocket)|Soyuz]],<ref name=soyuzt>{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/flights/soyzt101.htm |title=Soyuz T-10-1 'Launch vehicle blew up on pad at Tyuratam; crew saved by abort system' |publisher=Astronautix.com |access-date=2012-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805134401/http://astronautix.com/flights/soyzt101.htm |archive-date=2014-08-05 }}</ref> have [[launch escape system]]s. This is a small, usually solid rocket that is capable of pulling the crewed capsule away from the main vehicle towards safety at a moments notice. These types of systems have been operated several times, both in testing and in flight, and operated correctly each time.

This was the case when the [[Launch escape system|Safety Assurance System]] (Soviet nomenclature) successfully pulled away the L3 capsule during three of the four failed launches of the Soviet Moon rocket, [[N1 (rocket)|N1]] vehicles [[N1 (rocket)#Launch history|3L, 5L and 7L]]. In all three cases the capsule, albeit uncrewed, was saved from destruction. Only the three aforementioned N1 rockets had functional Safety Assurance Systems. The outstanding vehicle, [[N1 (rocket)#Launch history|6L]], had dummy upper stages and therefore no escape system giving the N1 booster a 100% success rate for egress from a failed launch.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wade|first1=Mark|title=N1 Manned Lunar Launch Vehicle|url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/n1.htm|website=astronautix.com|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica|access-date=24 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221044312/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/n1.htm|archive-date=21 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Wade |first1=Mark |title=N1 5L launch – 1969.07.03 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/details/n15h5170.htm |website=astronautix.com |publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica |access-date=24 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727072221/http://www.astronautix.com/details/n15h5170.htm |archive-date=27 July 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Harvey|first1=Brian|title=Soviet and Russian lunar exploration|date=2007|publisher=Springer|location=Berlin|isbn=978-0-387-73976-2|page=226|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVeY7vMCtOkC&pg=PA226}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=N1 (vehicle 5L) moon rocket Test – launch abort system activated|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyoBHBOnscY&noredirect=1|website=YouTube|publisher=2015 YouTube, LLC|access-date=12 January 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517160815/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyoBHBOnscY&noredirect=1|archive-date=17 May 2015}}</ref>

A successful escape of a crewed capsule occurred when [[Soyuz 7K-ST No. 16L|Soyuz T-10]], on a mission to the [[Salyut 7]] [[space station]], exploded on the pad.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wade|first1=Mark|title=Soyuz T-10-1|url=http://www.astronautix.com/flights/soyzt101.htm|website=astronautix.com|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica|access-date=24 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805134401/http://astronautix.com/flights/soyzt101.htm|archive-date=5 August 2014}}</ref>

Solid rocket propelled [[ejection seat]]s are used in many military aircraft to propel crew away to safety from a vehicle when flight control is lost.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bonsor |first=Kevin |url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/ejection-seat1.htm |title=Howstuff works ejection seats |publisher=Science.howstuffworks.com |date=2001-06-27 |access-date=2012-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100406173354/http://science.howstuffworks.com/ejection-seat1.htm |archive-date=2010-04-06 }}</ref>
{{clear}}

===Hobby, sport, and entertainment===
{{main|Model rocket}}
A model rocket is a small rocket designed to reach low altitudes (e.g., {{convert|100|–|500|m|ft|abbr=on}} for {{convert|30|g|oz|abbr=on}} model) and [[Model rocket#Model rocket recovery methods|be recovered]] by a variety of means.

According to the United States [[National Association of Rocketry]] (nar) Safety Code,<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://nar.org/NARmrsc.html |publisher=[[National Association of Rocketry]] |title=Model Rocket Safety Code |access-date=2019-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140205202319/http://www.nar.org/NARmrsc.html |archive-date=2014-02-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> model rockets are constructed of paper, wood, plastic and other lightweight materials. The code also provides guidelines for motor use, launch site selection, launch methods, launcher placement, recovery system design and deployment and more. Since the early 1960s, a copy of the Model Rocket Safety Code has been provided with most model rocket kits and motors. Despite its inherent association with extremely flammable substances and objects with a pointed tip traveling at high speeds, model rocketry historically has proven<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nar.org/safety.html |title=Safety |publisher=National Association of Rocketry |access-date=2012-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207062024/http://www.nar.org/safety.html |archive-date=2014-02-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktparts.html |title=Model Rockets |publisher=[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] |work=exploration.grc.nasa.gov |access-date=2012-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410054356/http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktparts.html |archive-date=2012-04-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to be a very safe hobby and has been credited as a significant source of inspiration for children who eventually become [[scientist]]s and [[engineer]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nar.org/pdf/Organizational%20Statement%20of%20the%20NAR.pdf |title=Organizational statement of the NAR |publisher=National Association of Rocketry}}</ref>

Hobbyists build and fly a wide variety of model rockets. Many companies produce model rocket kits and parts but due to their inherent simplicity some hobbyists have been known to make rockets out of almost anything. Rockets are also used in some types of consumer and professional [[fireworks]]. A [[water rocket]] is a type of model rocket using water as its reaction mass. The pressure vessel (the engine of the rocket) is usually a used plastic soft drink bottle. The water is forced out by a pressurized gas, typically compressed air. It is an example of Newton's third law of motion.

The scale of amateur rocketry can range from a small rocket launched in one's own backyard to a rocket that reached space.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coloradospacenews.com/csxt-go-fast-rocket-confirms-multiple-world-records/|title=CSXT Go Fast! Rocket Confirms Multiple World Records|publisher=Colorado Space News|date=4 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090304/http://www.coloradospacenews.com/csxt-go-fast-rocket-confirms-multiple-world-records/|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=28 May 2016}}</ref> Amateur rocketry is split into three categories according to total engine [[Impulse (physics)|impulse]]: low-power, mid-power, and [[High-power rocketry|high-power]].

[[Hydrogen peroxide]] rockets are used to power [[jet packs]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Demonstration of the flying rocket belt, Fort Eustis, Virginia and the Pentagon, 06/07/1961|date=June 7, 1961|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWwWnFpeoBc
|publisher=U.S. National Archives|access-date=April 30, 2023}}</ref> and have been used to power [[rocket car|cars]] and a rocket car holds the all time (albeit unofficial) [[drag racing]] record.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurodragster.com/news/news1002.asp?Story=oct30#oct30 |title=Sammy Miller |publisher=Eurodragster.com |access-date=2012-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602100129/http://www.eurodragster.com/news/news1002.asp?Story=oct30#oct30 |archive-date=2013-06-02 }}</ref>

Corpulent Stump is the most powerful non-commercial rocket ever launched on an Aerotech engine in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |title='Amateur' rocket launch delayed |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6963299.stm |access-date=10 October 2023 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=25 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Rocket blasts into record books |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6965328.stm |access-date=10 October 2023 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=27 August 2007}}</ref><ref name="Taylor">{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Marianne |title=Rocket men's quest for command of the Ayr |url=http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.1645304.0.rocket_mens_quest_for_command_of_the_ayr.php |access-date=10 October 2023 |work=Evening Times |date=27 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930153858/http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.1645304.0.rocket_mens_quest_for_command_of_the_ayr.php |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>