Tsiolkovsky rocket equation: The change in mass of a rocket as fuel is consumed at launch

by Yuriy Nazarko

Submitted : Spring 2021

The focus of this paper is to have a deep look into the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation which calculates the mass of a rocket as fuel is being consumed during a launch. Since fuel is constantly being thrown into the engine of a rocket and used for the thrust to help propel this fantastic machinery into space the mass of the rocket will change constantly. Therefore, the idea of the rocket equation is to help engineers of the rocket calculate the change in velocity of the rocket when mass is being depleted quickly. I modified the equation because when working with two-stage rockets you will need to find the initial speed of the rocket to have accurate results when using the rocket equation. I also converted my data from km/s to m/s as it helps with doing the calculations and getting the results needed.

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