Curious About Rockets

PODCAST 231: CURIOUS ABOUT ROCKETS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 5TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE ARE CLOSING IN ON FIVE FULL YEARS OF THE PODCAST, SO IT’S PRETTY RARE THAT WE DO SOMETHING WE’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN THIS WEEK.  OLIVIA IS GOING TO INTERVIEW THE GRANDPA OF ONE OF OUR LISTENERS.  WHY IS SHE DOING THAT?  WELL, IT’S BECAUSE HE JUST HAPPENS TO BE A SUPER EXPERT ON THE TOPIC WE’RE COVERING THIS WEEK.

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

“DEAR OLIVIA AND JACOB,

I AM EDWARD, FROM TEXAS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT ROCKETS.  IT WOULD MAKE ME REALLY HAPPY IF YOU LEARNED ABOUT THEM FOR ME!  

FROM, EDWARD, 6 YEARS OLD”

“HELLO JACOB AND OLIVIA,

MY NAME IS FINLEY FROM HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA.  MY FAMILY AND I LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  MY COUSIN FROM NEW ZEALAND TOLD US ABOUT YOUR PODCAST WHEN SHE CAME TO VISIT US THIS SUMMER.  WE HAVE LISTENED TO IT BEFORE BED ALMOST EVERY NIGHT SINCE.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT ZODIAC SIGNS - I AM A GEMINI.  MY BROTHER ROWAN IS CURIOUS ABOUT SPACESHIPS, DIAMONDS, AND OTHER GEMSTONES.  THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK! 

FROM FINLEY, AGE 10, AND ROWAN, AGE 8”

“HEY JACOB AND OLIVIA,

MY NAME IS ASHER.  I AM 7 YEARS OLD AN I LIVE IN FLORIDA.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT SHARKS, DINOSAURS, AND ROCKET SHIPS.  I HEARD YOU ARE LOOKING FOR EXPERTS TO COME ON THE PODCAST.  MY GRANDPA WORKS FOR NASA AS AN ENGINEER.  HE DESIGNS ROCKET PROPULSION SYSTEMS.  HE WOULD LOVE TO COME ON THE PODCAST IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HIM.  I LOVE YOUR PODCAST AND LISTEN TO IT IN THE CAR ALL THE TIME.

LOVE, ASHER”

O:  OH MY GOODNESS.  THOSE WERE AMAZING EMAILS.  IT IS INCREDIBLE TO THINK THAT A LISTENER FROM NEW ZEALAND SHARED THE PODCAST WITH HER COUSIN FROM CANADA, AND NOW WE HAVE TWO NEW FANS IN CANADA.  OUR LISTENERS ARE REALLY LIKE A BIG GLOBAL FAMILY.  WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE LISTENERS FROM ALL AROUND.

D:  AND, AS IS THAT’S NOT AWESOME ENOUGH, ASHER WAS KIND ENOUGH TO LEND US HIS GRANDPA FOR A FEW MINUTES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT ROCKETS.  

O:  I CAN’T WAIT TO INTERVIEW ASHER’S GRANDPA BILL IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.  LET’S LEARN ALL ABOUT ROCKETS FOR EDWARD, FINLEY, ROWAN, ASHER, AND OLIVIA, FROM OCALA, FLORIDA, WHO REACHED OUT TO US ON INSTAGRAM TO LET US KNOW THAT SHE’S ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT ROCKETS.  I’M A BIT NERVOUS ABOUT THIS EPISODE, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THE INFORMATION IS GOING TO BE HARD TO UNDERSTAND.

D:  WHY WOULD YOU FEEL THAT WAY?

O:  BECAUSE, WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO SAY THAT SOMETHING IS NOT DIFFICULT, THEY SOMETIMES SAY “IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE”.  THAT MUST MEAN THAT ROCKET SCIENCE IS VERY DIFFICULT.  IT MUST BE SO DIFFICULT, BECAUSE THEY COMPARE EVERYTHING ELSE TO IT.    

D:  WELL, I HAVE FAITH THAT WE WILL LEARN, AND UNDERSTAND, A LOT ABOUT ROCKETS AND HOW THEY WORK BY THE END OF THIS EPISODE.  LET’S GET THINGS STARTED WITH THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHY ARE ROCKETS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN AIRPLANES?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S DEFINE WHAT SPACE IS.  UNDERSTANDING WHAT SPACE IS WILL GIVE US A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SPACE ROCKETS WORK.

O:  I KNOW WHAT SPACE IS, DAD.  I’M PRETTY SURE LOTS OF OUR LISTENERS KNOW WHAT SPACE IS.

D:  IS THAT RIGHT?  IF YOU KNOW WHAT SPACE IS, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE SPACE?

O:  SPACE IS LIKE EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE EARTH ITSELF. 

D:  THAT’S A GOOD TRY, BUT IT’S NOT 100% CORRECT.  THE UNIVERSE INCLUDES EVERYTHING PHYSICAL IN EXISTENCE, INCLUDING PLANETS, STARS, AND OTHER CELESTIAL OBJECTS.  WELL, SPACE IS THE EMPTY AREA IN BETWEEN ALL THOSE THINGS.  

O:  ON EARTH, WE HAVE GRAVITY, WHICH IS AN INVISIBLE FORCE THAT TRIES TO PULL EVERYTHING TOWARDS THE EARTH.  AS YOU GET FURTHER FROM EARTH, EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE WILL END AND SPACE WILL BEGIN.  

D:  SO, WHERE DOES EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE END AND SPACE BEGIN?  MANY EXPERTS CONSIDER THAT SPOT TO BE ABOUT 60 MILES ABOVE EARTH.  

O:  AIRPLANES ONLY FLY ABOUT AS HIGH AS NINE AND A HALF MILES ABOVE EARTH, SO 60 MILES IS FAR, FAR AWAY.  

D:  IT’S FAR, BUT NOT THAT FAR.  IF WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WITH NO TRAFFIC, WE COULD DRIVE 60 MILES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR.  IN A ROCKET, IT WOULD TAKE ONLY 3 MINUTES TO GET 60 MILES ABOVE EARTH.  

O:  IN SPACE, THERE IS NO ATMOSPHERE.  SPACE IS COMPLETELY DARK, AND ALSO COMPLETELY SILENT.  

D:  EVEN IF YOU SCREAMED IN SPACE, IT WOULD BE SILENT.  THAT’S BECAUSE THERE IS NO AIR IN SPACE.  THERE IS NO AIR TO SCATTER SUNLIGHT, WHICH IS WHY SPACE IS BLACK, NOT BLUE LIKE OUR SKY.  

O:  NOW THAT WE LEARNED A BIT ABOUT SPACE, LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE AMAZING ROCKETS THAT ARE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO LAUNCH INTO SPACE.  A ROCKET CONTAINS ABOUT THREE MILLION DIFFERENT PARTS.

D:  AND WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM IN THIS EPISODE.  JUST KIDDING.  THAT WOULD TAKE FOREVER.  WE’RE JUST GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS OF A ROCKET.

O:  THE FIRST IS THE STRUCTURE, WHICH IS THE FRAME OF THE ROCKET THAT KEEPS EVERYTHING TOGETHER.  THEN, THERE IS THE PROPULSION SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES THE ENGINE, FUEL TANKS, ROCKET BOOSTERS AND MORE.  THE PROPULSION SYSTEM GIVES THE ROCKET ALL THE POWER NEEDED TO MOVE VERY FAST.  THERE IS A GUIDANCE SYSTEM, WHICH IS THE ONBOARD COMPUTER RESPONSIBLE FOR NAVIGATING THE ROCKET TO THE DESIRED DESTINATION.  FINALLY, THERE IS THE PAYLOAD, WHICH IS WHATEVER THE ROCKET IS CARRYING, INCLUDING PEOPLE.  

D:  ALL THOSE PARTS WEIGH A LOT, SO IT TAKES A LOT TO GET ALL OF THEOSE PARTS TO MOVE.  IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW ROCKETS MOVE, WE NEED TO CONSIDER THE FORCES ACTING ON A ROCKET.  IF YOU LISTENED TO EPISODE 17, CURIOUS ABOUT AIRPLANES, YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT WE DISCUSSED THE FORCES THAT WORK ON AN AIRPLANE.  THE FORCES THAT WORK ON A ROCKET ARE A BIT DIFFERENT.  

O:  THERE IS ONE FORCE THAT PUSHES A ROCKET UPWARD, AND THAT FORCE IS CALLED THRUST.  THE AMOUNT OF THRUST A ROCKET HAS DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH GAS THE ROCKET FIRES AND AT WHAT SPEED THAT GAS IS FIRED OUT OF IT’S EXHAUST NOZZLE.  SPACE SHUTTLES REQUIRE ABOUT SEVEN POUNDS OF FUEL FOR EVERY POUND OF PAYLOAD THAT THEY CARRY, SO LARGER ROCKETS WILL NEED MORE FUEL.

D:  THERE ARE TWO FORCES ACTING AGAINST A ROCKET AS IT CLIMBS THROUGH THE SKY.  ONE OF THOSE FORCES IS THE WEIGHT OF THE ROCKET, WHICH INCLUDES GRAVITY TRYING TO PULL THE ROCKET BACK DOWN TO EARTH.  THE OTHER FORCE IS CALLED DRAG, WHICH CAN ALSO BE REFERRED TO AS AIR RESISTANCE.  DRAG REFERS TO THE FORCE OF THE AIR PUSHING BACK AGAINST THE ROCKET.  

O:  ROCKETS HAVE TO MOVE SUPER FAST TO OVERCOME THE FORCES OF WEIGHT AND DRAG AS THEY FLY TOWARDS SPACE.  THEY HAVE TO REACH A SPEED CALLED ESCAPE VELOCITY.

D:  IN ORDER TO ESCAPE THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF EARTH, ROCKETS HAVE TO REACH A SPEED OF AT LEAST 25,000 MILES PER HOUR.  THAT EQUATES TO 7 MILES PER SECOND.  ROCKETS ARE ABLE TO REACH THOSE SPEEDS BECAUSE OF THE IMPRESSIVE PROPULSION SYSTEMS THEY HAVE ON BOARD THAT GENERATE ENOUGH THRUST TO OVERCOME THE WEIGHT AND DRAG ACTING AGAINST THE ROCKET.  

O:  WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST IN THIS EPISODE THAT IS AN EXPERT ON PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND CAN TEACH US SO MUCH ABOUT HOW ROCKETS ARE ABLE TO MOVE SO QUICKLY.

D:  HIS NAME IS BILL AND HE IS A FLUIDS ENGINEER CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE ARTEMIS ROCKET AND GROUND SYSTEM.  HE HANDLES ANYTHING WITH LIQUID OXYGEN, LIQUID HYDROGEN, AND HYDRALAZINE PROPELLANTS, AS WELL AS THE GAS SYSTEMS ON THE ROCKET.  HE DOES DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF SYSTEMS FOR ALL THESE TOPICS.  HE WORKED ON THE DESIGN OF THE LOCKHEED MARTIN ATLAS/CENTAUR ROCKET AND EVEN DID DEVELOPMENT WORK ON THE SPACE STATION TOILET SYSTEM!  BILL FINDS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAYS TO GET LIQUIDS AND GASES FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER ON THE LAUNCH PAD AND IN FLIGHT AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE.  

O:  HE LOVES SOLVING HARD PROBLEMS, AND ENJOYS WORKING AROUND ROCKETS AND “THINGS THAT GO BOOM.”

D:  BILL HAS BEEN WORKING IN SPACE AND DEFENSE FOR 30 YEARS, AND WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH HIS EXPERTISE JOIN US FOR AN INTERVIEW.  OLIVIA, PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF.

O:  BILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  HOW DOES A ROCKET WORK IN SPACE IF THERE IS NO AIR?

B:  ________________________________.

O:  WHY DOES A ROCKET MAKE SO MUCH FIRE WHEN IT LAUNCHES?

B:  ________________________________.

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHY ARE ROCKETS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN AIRPLANES?

B:  ________________________________.

O:  DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHEN WE WILL GET TO MARS?

B:  ________________________________.

D:  WOW, THAT WAS AMAZING.  A MILLION THANKS TO BILL FOR JOINING US FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND FOR TEACHING US SO MANY COOL THINGS ABOUT ROCKETS.  I THOUGHT I HAD A COOL JOB, BUT I THINK BILL MIGHT JUST HAVE ME BEAT.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  231 - ROCKETS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB EDWARD, FINLEY, ROWAN, ASHER, AND OLIVIA FOR AN EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT DEFINITELY WASN’T A DRAG.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE FOR THE WEEK, WE HAVE AMAZING LISTENERS TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK ARHAAN AND ANYA FROM AUSTRALIA FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “YOU ROCK!  HI CURIOUS KIDS, WE ARE ARHAAN AND ANYA.  WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST BECAUSE WE LEARN ABOUT A VARIETY OF TOPICS FROM CANDY TO RATS.  ARHAAN’S FAVORITE EPISODE WAS ABOUT EVOLUTION AND ANYA’S WAS ABOUT THE HEART.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PODCASTS AND KEEP DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB TEACHING EVERYONE!”  

O:  THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL.  FIVE STAR REVIEWS MEAN SO MUCH TO US, AND THEY ALSO HELP NEW PEOPLE DISCOVER THE PODCAST.

D:  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT MUSCLES FOR LISTENERS IN CALIFORNIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.