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Homework Statement
The following equation is known as the "Rocket Equation":
[itex]\frac{M+P}{M}[/itex]= e[itex]^{ΔV/C}[/itex] = mass ratio
M = dry mass
P = mass of propellant
C = exhaust velocity
ΔV = velocity changee^1 = 2.72
e^2 = 2.74
e^3 = 20.4
As ΔV/C goes up, the mass of the spacecraft goes up faster than the exponential, so much so that depending on the lightness of the structural materials and the density of the propellants employed, somewhere between ΔV/C = 2 and ΔV/C = 3 the mass of a single spacecraft will go to infinity! Please explain how and why the mass of the spacecraft will reach infinity?
Homework Equations
[itex]\frac{M+P}{M}[/itex]= e[itex]^{ΔV/C}[/itex]
The Attempt at a Solution
Shouldn't the mass ratio be equal to 1 if the mass is a really huge number?Or, does the propellant mass have something to do with it. I know that the propellant mass needs to increase along with the dry mass of the rocket.
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