I have a vague idea that air compression involved but I don’t know how this fits together in the grand scheme of things.
In: Technology
A propeller is a set of wings turned horizontal and spinning around a shaft. These wings create lift which when turned sideways is instead thrust.
A jet engine is a turbine system that has a big fan in the front to intake air and direct it to more fans in the center of the engine that squeeze this air down until it is compressed to a correct level. That air then has fuel injected into it and it is combusted. Combustion creates an expansion and a lot of pressure. That pressure is forced out the back of the engine through another fan blade that is connected to the ones at the front and powers them. This exhaust forced out the back at high speed creates thrust. (Same as a water hose whipping around if you don’t hold onto it.)
A rocket engine is like the rear part of a jet engine without as many fans. Rockets have to work in space, so they carry their fuel and their oxygen along. These get mixed in the rocket engine and ignited. Same result as a jet engine, the pressure of the combustion is directed out the rear via the nozzle and that force is thrust. The shape of the nozzle helps make the engine work better in different environments (such as sea level for launch, or in the vacuum of space.)
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