Aerospike engine

An aerospike engine is like a big pushy thing that helps a rocket go zoom!

Imagine taking a can of soda and poking a hole in the top, then blowing air through the hole. You can see that the air comes out in a nice, straight line.

Now imagine this on a much, much bigger scale - almost as big as a whole room! The aerospike engine is a special engine that helps rockets fly up high into space.

It works by using air and gases to create a lot of thrust, which is the force that helps launch a rocket up into space. The aerospike engine has a very special shape, almost like a big cone, but with a hole in the top called a spike.

When the rocket is launched, air flows into the engine and creates a "virtual nozzle" around the spike. This helps to focus the gases from the rocket's fuel in a very precise way, which helps the rocket go faster and faster.

So next time you see a rocket launch into space, remember the special push of the aerospike engine!