UZB

441E Rocket Propulsion

Fall 2017
Assignment #2

Due: Nov 27, 2017 @ 6pm



1. Assume a rocket of total mass 100 tons, carrying a spacecraft payload of 1 ton. The engines develop a constant
exhaust velocity of 3,000 m/s. The structural mass is assumed to be 10% of the fuel mass.
a) Determine the velocity of this configuration as a single stage rocket
b) If the rocket is divided into two smaller stages, each with half the fuel, and the structural mass also shared
equally, and the payload being the same, determine the total velocity increment for the two stage
configuration.
c) Repeat part (2), assuming 3 stages. What do you notice about the total velocity increment as you add more
and more stages? As an engineer, how would you determine how many stages to use?


2. Consider a rocket vehicle which has an initial mass of 100 kg. The structural mass of the vehicle is 10 kg and
the propellant mass is 90 kg. The mass flow rate of the propellant is constant of 1 kg/s and exhaust velocity
during the operation is also constant 1000 m/s.

Plot the vehicles velocity, momentum and mass with respect to time until the burnout.

3. Write a computer code to solve for the position, velocity, and acceleration of a rocket launched vertically for
the following cases:
a) Rocket nozzle is ideally expanded, gravity is constant, and Cd=0.
b) Rocket nozzle is ideally expanded, gravity is variable, and Cd=0.
c) Rocket nozzle is ideally expanded, gravity is constant, and Cd = 0.5.
d) Rocket nozzle is ideally expanded, gravity is variable, and Cd=0.5.

Plot the results for position, velocity, and acceleration and discuss the relative impact of the different loss
terms. Select a reasonable (justifiable) rocket for which to conduct your analysis.