How does a rocket work in a vacuum

[LibreEnergia]

Let's assume it did need to push off the air or some other thing other than the mass it ejects out the nozzle.

800 elephants or (2,970,000 kg) worth of air having a density of 1.225 kg/m3  would be a cube of air about 140 metres per side.  I'm just wondering how they fit that much air directly under the cross section of the rocket on take off ?  Perhaps it would have been better to put the elephants under the rocket instead, given that elephants have a density approach 1000 kg/m3. That would fit.

Or better still accept you don't need anything to push off, either the ground or the air or elephants . Instead , carry the elephants on the rocket, flinging them out the back fast enough to make it rise.

However, In the interests of animal cruelty perhaps replace the elephants with two liquids that when reacted together produce a gas that can be accelerated out a nozzle (in a way that no elephant can)...

[ramset]

Libre
Why you hate Elephants ??
Quote
carry the elephants on the rocket, flinging them out the back fast enough to make it rise.


horrible  man ...........

[LibreEnergia]

Libre
Why you hate Elephants ??
Quote
carry the elephants on the rocket, flinging them out the back fast enough to make it rise.


horrible  man ...........

It's just as well elephants never proved to be particularly adept at moving fast of their own accord and a elephant catapult was deemed impractical early on in the space program.

[ramset]

Libre
Quote
a elephant catapult was deemed impractical early on in the space program.
---------------------

Wicked people,  looking to the poor Ponderous pachyderm for propulsion short cuts...

[Pirate88179]

F = MA

Relative to the rocket gas (a  mass) is accelerated out the exhaust,  producing a force.

Nothing is required to push against. I can't believe why you'd think any differently.

Exactly correct.

Bill