Blast Off! A Rocket Heads to Space

About this drawing

A rocket launch is one of the most exciting moments in space exploration. To escape Earth's gravity, a rocket burns a huge amount of fuel very quickly, and hot gases blast downward so hard that they push the rocket up.

That push works like a balloon you let go of without tying: air rushes out one end and the balloon zooms the other way. But space has no air to help fuel burn, so a rocket carries its own oxygen in special tanks.

The two smaller rockets on the sides are called boosters. They give an extra shove during the first minutes, when the rocket is heaviest. Once they run out, they drop away and the rocket keeps climbing, lighter than before. Some modern boosters even fly back and land so they can be used again.

Before launch, the rocket stands beside a tall steel tower used for loading fuel and letting the crew climb aboard. In the control center, the team checks every system and starts the famous countdown. When it hits zero, liftoff! In the United States, many launches happen on the Florida coast.

• rocket
• space
• launch
• science
• astronauts