Atmospheric and Ascent Flight

Having investigated in Chaps. 1 – 5 the technical and physical properties of a rocket and the general equation of motionEquation(s) of motion (EOM), which governs its flight, we are ready for a mission to the planets in our solar system. Before we explore the rocket’s motion in interplanetary space, it first has to ascent in Earth’s gravitational field through the atmosphereAtmosphere (*). As will be shown later, ascent and reentry are subject to identical physical equations treated by the science called flight mechanics.