Why do airplanes have wings and rockets do not?

Question

Why do airplanes have wings and rockets do not?

Answer 1

I'm a pilot, but not a rocket engineer, so perhaps I can only give you half the story.

(1) Aircraft move through air with relatively little thrust (compared to a rocket). Their wings create LIFT by virtue of their shape and the movement of air over them. So aircraft need them. A rocket, however, has so much thrust (and generally only goes up) it's not using aerodynamic LIFT to fly. It's just forcing it's way up!

(2) Another aspect of flight, is CONTROL. The faster you go, the less control surface you need for stabilisation or control. Since rockets go so fast you need lvery ittle in the way of wings or control surfaces.  Hope this helps

Answer 2

I'm not really into the long answer deal, but rockets take off vertically while airplanes take off horizontally. --Sid :)

Answer 3

Rockets only need to go one direction...Up

Answer 4

rockets get lift from using an engine

that has a greater thrust to weight ratio.

That is it's thrust is greater than the weight of the rocket.

they are stabilized in flight by gyroscopes.

and the engine nozzles can be mounted on gimbals.

a wing in this case would be a redundant component

and just add a lot of weight and drag.

http://yarchive.net/space/rocket/rocket_...

Answer 5

rockets go straight up with pure thrust from their engines where planes have to create their own lift with the assistance of wings. two different types of flight requiring two different types of lift.

Answer 6

Airplanes traditionally use bournoulli's theory to fly. The wings MUST interact with the AIR in the atmosphere for flight to occur.

A rocket doesnt need air to fly. Rockets use simple kinetics:

- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This means that if gas or fuel rushes out of one end of the rocket, it MUST push the rocket in the opposite direction. Its just like letting gas out of a balloon. The balloon flies without wings.

Answer 7

Airplanes have wings cause the fly  long distances thus needing wings to give lift. But  a rocket doesn't have wings cause it doesn't fly long it just propels up thus there is no need for wings.

Answer 8

The amount of lift required decides dimension of the wings (ignoring speed for discussion's sake). For rockets the fuel burn contributes to both lift and thrust. So the lift required for them is zero and no need for wings.

However rockets might have wings. This will either be for directional control or as part contribution to lift.

Answer 9

Some rockets DO have wings...  Examples are the German V-1 and V-2 rockets of WWII, and modern cruise missiles.  Rockets that are shot into space do not have wings, because they are going to a place where wings are not effective in controlling altitude or direction of travel.

Answer 10

Planes depend of aerodynamic lift from their wings to stay aloft.  Rockets, on the other hand, simply rely on a lot of thrust to push themselves vertically (most of the time).  However, there are rocket planes that have done both, notably the "X" planes, starting with the Bell X-1 and ending with the Space Shuttle.

Answer 11

the rockets have better thrust to weight ratio, so they are primarily carried in the airby the perpendicular part of their thrust, while hey are propelled forwards by the rest of the thrust. this means, the rocket flies /when in horizontal trajectory/ wih nose ppointed slightly up, which produces element of force that equals the weight of the rocket. the rest of thrust then moves the rocket forwards.

after the rocket engine burns all fuel, the rocket flies freely on its balistic trajectory.

missiles do have wings in fact, but these are stubby and used only for terminal target interception maneuvering.

space rockets are both propelled and steered through vectored rocket engines. since space rockets are lfying in vacuum wings would be of no use for them.