is it possible to send a gunpowder fuelled rocket into space?

Question

yes i allready know it would have to have a very long stick

a firework rocket is powered by gunpowder
not black powder

Answer 1

Efforts like that have failed. Instead, they now use Superconducting Magnets to fuel spaceships which are much safer. With so many spaceships being built over the past century, space tourism will become a reality soon. If it doesn't-- we're in deep #%@ --because global warming will sink all 17,000 islands on Earth. Even NY can go under, not to mention PR, Haiti, Hawaii, etc.

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If it doesn't spin on its axis like the Moon, then a Superconducting Magnet or Neodymium Boron type of cylindrical/bar magnet must be inserted into the core. The Earth's core conists of Iron and Nickel and is a molten iron Dynamo. The strength of the Magnetic Dynamo must be 10,000 Gauss (1 Tesla) or more. On Earth, the Dynamo is at least 5,000 Gauss (1/2 Tesla) and the magnetic field strength is 0.5 to 2.0 Gauss over the surface of the Earth. With this knowledge, we can build ATMOSPHERES and restaurants throughout the Milky Way Galaxy.

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Answer 2

All rockets are inherently dangerous since they rely on a chemical reaction of a fuel and an oxidiser. The danger comes the fact that once the reaction is initiated it must come to a natural conclusion - ie the supply of fuel or oxygen is exhausted - there is no off switch.

A gunpowder fuelled rocket sounds to be pushing the danger limit just a little too far, but I don't see why it can't work. If you can keep the reaction going long enough whilst generating enough thrust to escape the earth's gravity.

Answer 3

Do you mean merely getting up into "space", about a hundred miles up(....and promptly falling right back down again); or do you actually want to go into *permanent orbit*, which would require about ten times as much energy.

Either case is possible, at least in theory.

The big problem is, black powder has a low energy content, and a low "specific impulse", when compared with modern rocket fuels. Therefore, a black powder rocket designed to go into orbit would have to be extremely large, would need many stages, and could only carry a very small payload.

Another problem is the "dry weight" of the rocket itself, minus the fuel. The strength of materials places practical limits on the size of any rocket. It would probably not be possible in practice to build a rocket light enough, that it could reach orbit using black powder.

Hope that makes sense,
~W.O.M.B.A.T.

Answer 4

What??? You want to place a bomb in the tail of a rocket instead of a rocket engine?

Never happen...

What you want is "not a big explosion that could blow the rear end of the rocket slam off," rather, you want a long, continuous, blast of hot gases, focused in one direction, that does not errode the nozzel and make it worthless.


A rifle bullet is propelled out of a rifle by a sudden huge explosion inside of the rifle. Human bodies are not designed
to withstand that much massive, sudden, acceleration. About 9 to 10 G's is all we can stand even with special pressurized suits. Once the bullet exits the rifle barrel, no further acceleration is provided.

In the case of a rocket ship during launch, the rocket engine burn (thrust) may last for several minutes. In the case of the Shuttle liftoff, the shuttle is moving at about 17,000 MPH when the rocket booster packages finally drop off.

Answer 5

Not particularly likely -- gunpowder/black powder does not burn fast enough, nor does it achieve enough expansion/thrust to be able to achieve escape velocity.

Mythbusters tested this concept, based on an old Chinese legend. They failed to be able to control the rockets well enough to even get more than about 5-10 meters above the ground.

Answer 6

I think it is impossible since gunpowder is simply incapable of achieving the thrust-to-weight ratio to haul even itself into space, not even adding a rocket to it.

The nearest anyone got was Gerard Bull, who experimented with gigantic guns capable of shooting down incoming nuclear missiles in the atmosphere.

The guns in question however used more hardcore propellants and were based on naval 310mm guns. The US envisioned launching nuclear bombs for a mere $200,000 each. However the large static launchers became obsolete in the submarine age.

Gerard Bull later won contracts from shifty nations like apartheid South Africa (developing the G5 and G6) and then Iraq.

He was killed by Mossad after being too helpful with the development of artillery with a 100km range, and providing useful hints to Saddams missile program.

Answer 7

Apart from the problem of not enough air in the upper atmosphere to allow the gunpowder to burn, you have the added problem that the gunpowder could not provide enough lift.

Answer 8

Dont know about space. But I think there would be a fine line between it being a rocket and a pipe bomb. Too fine a line. Too dangerous.

Answer 9

No. As the "rocket" goes higher into the atmosphere, there won't be enough oxygen to allow combustion to continue.

Answer 10

Gun powder is self oxidizing. So yes it is possible, however impractical.