Rocket Equation (Tsiolkovsky)

The Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation describes how the change in a spacecraft's velocity depends on the mass of its fuel and how efficiently it can use that fuel. Essentially, to go faster, a rocket must carry enough fuel, which gets expelled at high speed, pushing the rocket forward. The more fuel it carries, the heavier the initial mass, making it harder to accelerate. This equation helps in designing rockets by showing the trade-off between fuel mass and achievable speed, emphasizing that achieving high velocity requires carrying significant amounts of propellant and efficient engines.