Home
Creators
Search Recent Missing Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Rocketry Terms (Patreon)

Published:
2025-03-17 04:32:28
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Hey all! This week on the podcast we're talking rocketry terms. Sure, we all know what a CATO or a shred is, but do you know about CHAD staging? What about a horsetooth?

Alright, I made horsetooth up.

Drop some common rocketry terms, phrases, and acronyms in the comments with their definition or meaning. Explain them like you're talking to someone who's never flown a rocket before!

Comments

Liam

You want a list?

RocketFlier1299

What is coning? I heard this term when you talked about your 2 stage rocket but I have no idea what it means.

Olivia Donahue

"This might work" or any of it's derivatives "this should be fine" "it'll be fine" etc. = coin flip or the ballsiest thing you've ever seen.

Liam

Chuff- A chuff is when a motor produces thrust for a monument usually leading to the rocket traveling up to the rail. MECO- Main engine cut off not that common in Hobby rocketry but in the professional industry it is very common. But it is when the first or main engine shuts off or stops producing thrust. RUD- Applicable in both the industry and the hobby stands for a Rapid Unscheduled Disassemble. But it is when the vehicle shreds CATOS etc basically if the vehicle falls apart and you didn't plan for it to then it is a RUD. SECO- Second Engine Cut Off more applicable in the industry but if you have a two stage then it's perfect. This is when the second engine shuts off or stops producing thrust. Hot staging- Sometimes referred to as fire in the hole which is when you light the upper or second stage while still attached to the first or lower stages engines are still firing or still attached at least. It's fairly violent and chaotic TVC- Thrust vector control is a method to keep the vehicle stable instead of fins. Brayden you can share the story of what happened to me when I left the fins off a rocket if you want to. But don't do that unless you have a good TVC system on borad. Jettison- This is when you ditch, drop, release, or jetosen a spent or used up stage of the rocket. Main chute- This parachute is typicaly bigger and used to bring the vehicle down to the ground softly. In both the hobby and industry. Drouge Chute- This is used to slow the vehicle down but keep it coming down so that it doesn't drift to far. In the industry they are used to slow the vehicle down so that the main doesn't shread apon deployment. Coning- Is when the vehicle is over stable in upper layers of the atmosphere causing a rocket that is traveling at a relatively high speed to turn to the side and shread or get torn apart. This is mainly induced by rolling at a high rate while being over stable. SES- Second engine start is when the second stage of the vehicle ignites or starts producing thrust. FTS- Flight Termination System think of an FTS like this if the flight goes wrong we don't want to hit little Timmy over in the crowd so we strap a bomb to the rocket so that if it turns towards little Timmy then we blow it up. FTS. An FTS can also come in the form of deploying chute's early or shutting off the engine. Ballistic entry- Your vehicle just drops like a rock. Rod Whip- Is similar to rail whip but it is with a rod instead. Actually lead to my Pathfinder rocket loosing a fin.

Liam
>>168012313

It's when a rocket is over stable and starts to spin making a cone shape then it will turn to the side and shread. It is usually when your spinning at high RPM.

Jonas

Candling. When a parachute doesn’t fully open and flickers like a candle in the sky. CATO-staging — when the booster motor CATOs but ignites the sustainer successfully anyway. Shovel recovery. Aka ballistic

Liam
>>168012954

Crap yeah your right it is SECO I was thinking of second engine start

David Bilia

A list crowd sourced from our college team freshman ISP Body caliber Conning APCP Single sep dual deploy Dual sep Rail whip Mach rash FWFG FWCF fincan Internal vs external fillets MMT Blue tube Phenolic tube (when and why to use it) Microspears Launch lungs Over stability (how is that possible) Initial thrust to weight 4f

Noah Lenihan

Ah shit. When something doesn't go as planned.

Neutronium
>>168012313

It's much more complicated than overstability. It has to do with dynamic stability, it occurs when the rocket starts spinning at the same rate that it wants to oscillate at, leading to a possible feedback loop.

Neutronium

I'll stick to fun euphemisms. Lake stake: lawn dart on a dry lake bed. Landshark: rocket goes bouncing across the ground. Square Wheel: when someone invents a novel solution to an already solved problem that is worse than existing solutions. Core sample: when a rocket impacts ballistically, but without the nosecone on, leading to the body tube getting filled with dirt. Shred: rocket tears itself apart due to aerodynamic forces. Speed of cardboard: the speed at which a cardboard rocket will shred. Feel free to replace cardboard with other building materials. Usually used in the context of a shredded flight, that flier found the speed of cardboard. Rocket eating trees: trees near a launch site that commonly get rockets stuck in them. Skywriting: when a rocket goes unstable and flies erratically across the sky.

Liam
>>168012313

Yeah but when I talk to people who I don't know how technical they want me to get I start with a simple explanation. If you want I could give the deep dive explaining the physics the best condition the best way to avoid it and so on.