Rocket

A rocket or rocket vehicle is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust by ejecting a jet of fast moving fluid from a rocket engine. The action of the fluid against the inside of combustion chambers and expansion nozzles is able to accelerate the fluid to

A Soyuz-U, at Baikonur Site 1/5.

extremely high speed, and this exerts a large reactive thrust on the rocket (an equal and opposite reaction according to Newton's third law).

Rockets, in military and recreational uses, date back to at least the 13th century.Significant scientific, interplanetary and industrial use did not occur until the 20th century, when rocketry was the enabling technology of the Space Age, including setting foot on the moon.

Rockets are used for fireworks weaponry, ejection seats, launch vehicles for artificial satellites, human spaceflight and exploration of other planets. While comparatively inefficient for low speed use, they are very lightweight and powerful, capable of generating large accelerations and of attaining extremely high speeds with reasonable efficiency.

Chemical rockets are the most common type of rocket and they typically create their exhaust by the combustion of rocket propellant. Chemical rockets store a large amount of energy in an easily-released form, and can be very dangerous. However, careful design, testing, construction and use minimizes risks.