A rocket is perhaps the most complex part of a man-made machine – especially their motives. These ingredients have no analogues in any terrestrial vehicle.
RS-25 rocket engine on the way to the test site. Credit: NASA/SSC
Even when we consider all the latest advances in technology – modern materials, numerical controllability and even the ability to integrate machine learning-driven functions – flying a rocket remains a daunting challenge and a risky business. The biggest part of the challenge was ensuring reliable operation of the engine itself – both words mechanical and Electronic Control Personal perspective.
If you want to lift a rocket off the surface of the Earth, you first need to create a rapid combustion reaction in which the exhaust gases are accelerated to very high speeds, propelling the engines in the opposite direction. For small models, such a reaction can be done in a relatively simple way, where you simply pressurize all the components of the propellant, ignite the reaction, and that’s it. . But for larger and more complex rockets, where you need higher performance and better fuel economy, designing and controlling engine performance becomes an extremely complex task, where even the circulation of fuel takes considerable ingenuity to make it work.
The following video explains the ways that can be used to power rocket engines to make them fully functional:
