h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Why is rocket science so hard?

Next time I see M I'll ask her (yes, I do know a genuine rocket scientist)

SoRB explained concisely a few months ago on another thread that infact Rocket "Science" is easy. It is Rocket "Engineering" that is difficult.

Rocket science is the laws of motion. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction etc and thus how much force do you need to overcome gravity to get into orbit or just to keep a plane from falling out of the sky or what ever the rocket is propelling etc. These are 'just' calculations involving forces.

Rocket engineering on the other hand is far more complex involving a combination of combustion theory, engine design, injection systems, cooling systems, etc to make sure that a) the engine gives you the correct force required, b) it lasts long enough under the incredible forces and c) it does not blow up.

I'm not sure when the term "rocket science" in "it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that out" came into being, but I can see how the Apollo programme blew people's minds back in the 1960's. Thousands of top engineers were commissioned into the space programme, and it about as plumb a job as you could get at the time.

Well, even in the science aspect, although it may be easy to write the basic equations down, they can only be solved numerically. Which, back in the 60's, was really saying something. Because then in addition to all those engineering issues, you also had to be able to understand advanced supercomputing.

have you ever got a paper dart to fly straight. and that's easy stuff. i tried throwing a javelin once, not a pretty parabola, very wobbly. try doing that with something big!

*psst* Fold the wingtips up! It adds stability to the wings!