99 articles
RD-214
The RD-214 (GRAU index 8D59) was a Soviet four-chamber liquid-propellant engine developed by Valentin Glushko's bureau to power the first stage of the R-12 missile and the Kosmos-2 launcher.
Red fuming nitric acid
Red fuming nitric acid (RFNA) is a storable liquid rocket oxidizer, made of concentrated nitric acid with dissolved nitrogen dioxide, which gives it a reddish color and toxic fumes.
Regenerative cooling
Regenerative cooling is a rocket engine technique in which a propellant flows through channels in the chamber and nozzle walls to cool them, then returns the absorbed heat to combustion.
RL10
The RL10 is an American liquid-hydrogen and liquid-oxygen upper-stage rocket engine developed by Pratt & Whitney, first flown in 1963 and still in production today.
Robert H. Goddard
Robert H. Goddard, also known as Robert Hutchings Goddard, was an American physicist who flew the world's first liquid-propellant rocket in 1926 and is called the father of modern rocketry.
Robert L. Sackheim
Robert L. Sackheim was an American space propulsion engineer who spent 35 years at TRW before serving as chief engineer for space propulsion at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
Rocket engine
A rocket engine is a propulsion device that generates thrust by burning fuel and an oxidizer carried on board, expelling hot exhaust through a nozzle to push the vehicle forward.
Rocket propellant
Rocket propellant, also called rocket fuel, is the fuel and oxidizer a rocket carries onboard and burns to produce thrust, in liquid, solid, or hybrid form.
Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne is an American rocket engine manufacturer founded in 1955, known for the engines that powered the Redstone missile, Saturn rockets, the Space Shuttle, and NASA's Space Launch System.
Rocketdyne F-1
The Rocketdyne F-1 was a kerosene and liquid oxygen rocket engine, developed by Rocketdyne to power the first stage of the Saturn V Moon rocket.
Rocketdyne J-2
The Rocketdyne J-2, also known as the J-2 engine, was an American rocket engine burning liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen that powered the upper stages of the Saturn IB and Saturn V during Apollo.
Roger M. Myers
Roger M. Myers is an American aerospace engineer who led in-space propulsion at Aerojet Rocketdyne and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2022.
Rotating detonation engine
A rotating detonation engine (RDE), in rocket form called a rotating detonation rocket engine, burns propellant with a supersonic detonation wave circling an annular chamber, promising higher efficiency.
RP-1
RP-1, or Rocket Propellant 1, is a highly refined kerosene used with liquid oxygen in rockets such as the Atlas, Saturn V, and SpaceX Falcon 9.
RS-25
The RS-25, or Space Shuttle Main Engine, is a reusable liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen rocket engine that powered the Space Shuttle from 1981 to 2011.
RS-68
The RS-68 is a liquid-fueled booster rocket engine developed by Rocketdyne, utilized for the first stage of the Delta IV launch vehicle, achieving over 650,000 pounds of thrust.
S-IVB
The S-IVB, also called Saturn S-IVB, was a Douglas rocket stage powered by one J-2 engine, serving as the Saturn IB's second stage and the Saturn V's third stage.
SABRE (rocket engine)
SABRE (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine) is a British hybrid rocket engine by Reaction Engines that breathes atmospheric air up to Mach 5 before switching to onboard oxygen.
Solid-propellant rocket
A solid-propellant rocket, also called a solid rocket motor, is a rocket with fuel and oxidizer cast together as a solid grain that burns from exposed surfaces.
Space Shuttle external tank
The Space Shuttle external tank, or ET, held liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for the orbiter's three main engines and was the only Shuttle component not recovered.
SpaceX Merlin
The SpaceX Merlin, also known as the Merlin 1, is a family of kerosene and liquid oxygen rocket engines powering the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy.
SpaceX Raptor
The SpaceX Raptor, or Raptor engine, is a liquid oxygen and liquid methane rocket engine developed by SpaceX, powering the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage.
SpaceX rocket engines
SpaceX rocket engines are the liquid-propellant engines developed in-house by SpaceX to power the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship rockets and the Dragon spacecraft.
Stage separation
Stage separation is the flight event in which a spent rocket stage is detached from the launch vehicle so the continuing stage can carry on to orbit.
Staged combustion cycle
The staged combustion cycle is a closed liquid rocket engine cycle in which preburner gas drives the turbopumps and is then burned again in the main chamber.
Strap-on booster
A strap-on booster is a rocket motor attached to the side of a launch vehicle's core stage, burning in parallel to increase liftoff thrust and payload capacity.
Thiokol
Thiokol, also known as Morton Thiokol or Thiokol Chemical Corporation, was an American company founded in 1929, first commercial producer of synthetic rubber in the United States and maker of the Space Shuttle boosters.
Throttling (rocket engine)
Throttling is the controlled variation of a rocket engine's thrust, most often by regulating propellant flow, used to limit aerodynamic loads and to enable propulsive landings.
Thrust curve
A thrust curve is a graph of the thrust a rocket motor produces plotted against time, usually recorded during a static firing on a test stand.
Thrust vectoring
Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), steers rockets and aircraft by redirecting engine thrust; most modern rockets use a swiveling gimbaled nozzle.