Glossary — N
5 terms
CONTROL
Navigation
Determining a vehicle's position and velocity.
Example: Navigation fused GPS and inertial data in real time.
LAUNCH
Nose cone
The conical forward cover of a rocket, shedding aerodynamic load.
Example: The nose cone separated once out of the atmosphere.
PROPULSION
Nozzle
A shaped duct that expands and accelerates exhaust gas to produce thrust.
Example: A bell nozzle accelerates exhaust to supersonic speed in a vacuum.
MISSION
Navigation mission
A mission providing positioning, navigation, and timing signals.
Example: The navigation mission broadcasts timing for GPS receivers.
ORBITS
NORAD ID
A unique catalog number assigned to each tracked object in Earth orbit.
Example: The decayed upper stage was logged under NORAD ID 44902.