A rocket blasts off from a platform on a space station. An identical rocket blasts off from free space. Consid

Question

A rocket blasts off from a platform on a space station. An identical rocket blasts off from free space. Considering everything else to be equal, will the two rockets have the same acceleration? Explain.

Answer 1

The two rockets will have the same acceleration, within reason. A tiny difference would occur if the space-station rocket were launched from an enclosed space (eg: a tube) or with a platform. Technically, the space-station rocket would get a tiny boost from a pressure differential between the fore and aft of the rocket.

But that difference would be so small compared to the engine's power, that it wouldn't likely be considered in calculations.

Answer 2

Your question does not have enough details... For example a space station is typically in orbit around the Earth... which in turn is in orbit around the sun, both of these bodies effect the acceleration of the rocket.

Further, what do you mean by 'Free Space'? Interstellar space between two stars (i.e. away from gravity influence), or in space somewhere in our solar system?

For the accelerations to be identical, then the sum of all forces acting on the rocket (not just the thrust) must be identical.

Answer 3

No because the space station and rocket both have mass. and their gravity would slow the acceleration. Also, the launch pad gives the rocket's blasters something to push off of.
And 3rd, if the space station is moving then its momentum is also a veriable.

Answer 4

No.

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change, related to force and mass. The rocket in space will not be influenced by gravitational mass like the rocket on earth.

Answer 5

♠ I’ve read the answers above and I can see that common sense and intuition are helpful sometimes but not always; so I try to put some poof;
♣ suppose the platform is on the orbit of radius r1 then the gravity force on the rocket is F=G*M*m/r1^2 according to newton’s gravity law;
♦ now suppose that initial position of the rocket is r2 from the Earth, r2 being much-much greater than r1, so that gravity force of the Earth is negligible;
♥ suppose both rockets are launched in the direction away from the Earth and hauling capacity H of their engines are equal; then according to 2nd Newton’s law we may write:
H-F=m*a1 for the rocket (♣), where H-F is the force producing acceleration a1;
H=m*a2 for the rocket (♦), where H is the only force producing acceleration a2;
Hence a2 > a1 because H has not to overcome the gravity if r2 >> r1;

Answer 6

depends on the mass of the space station. If it is negligible there will be same acceleration, if not the rocket from space station will have less acceleration

Answer 7

This question is too complicated. Well, considering that
launching platforms have good exaust deflectors, and
the speed of exaust usually exceeds the speed of sound,
the accelerations will be the same.

Answer 8

If the thrust (force) from the engines is the same, the answer is yes. F= ma