Ballistic missile flight phases
So imagine you are playing a game of catch with your friend. You throw the ball, and your friend catches it. Now imagine instead of a ball, it's a rocket that goes really fast and really far. That's a ballistic missile!
When a ballistic missile is launched, it goes through several different phases. First, it goes straight up into the air. This is called the boost phase. During this phase, the rocket engines are burning fuel to push the missile higher and higher. The missile is flying straight up because it needs to gain enough altitude to reach its target.
After the boost phase, the missile enters the second phase called the midcourse phase. This is when the missile is no longer going up, but it's also not quite coming down yet. Instead, it's traveling through space towards its target. The missile's engines are turned off during this phase to conserve fuel.
Now, imagine you're jumping off a diving board into a pool. Once you jump off the diving board, you start to fall towards the water. That's kind of what happens during the next phase of the ballistic missile flight - the reentry phase. The missile's warhead, which is the part of the missile that carries the explosive payload, separates from the rocket and starts to fall back down towards the earth.
During the reentry phase, the warhead enters the earth's atmosphere and encounters a lot of resistance. This causes the warhead to heat up and get really hot. Imagine putting a marshmallow in a campfire - it starts to get really hot and gooey. That's kind of what happens to the warhead as it reenters the atmosphere.
Finally, the warhead reaches the last phase of its flight - the terminal phase. This is when the warhead is very close to its target and it adjusts its course to make sure it hits the right spot. The warhead might use small thrusters or fins to make tiny course corrections so that it hits its target accurately.
And that's it! The ballistic missile has completed its flight phases and has hit its target (hopefully not a person or anything alive!).
When a ballistic missile is launched, it goes through several different phases. First, it goes straight up into the air. This is called the boost phase. During this phase, the rocket engines are burning fuel to push the missile higher and higher. The missile is flying straight up because it needs to gain enough altitude to reach its target.
After the boost phase, the missile enters the second phase called the midcourse phase. This is when the missile is no longer going up, but it's also not quite coming down yet. Instead, it's traveling through space towards its target. The missile's engines are turned off during this phase to conserve fuel.
Now, imagine you're jumping off a diving board into a pool. Once you jump off the diving board, you start to fall towards the water. That's kind of what happens during the next phase of the ballistic missile flight - the reentry phase. The missile's warhead, which is the part of the missile that carries the explosive payload, separates from the rocket and starts to fall back down towards the earth.
During the reentry phase, the warhead enters the earth's atmosphere and encounters a lot of resistance. This causes the warhead to heat up and get really hot. Imagine putting a marshmallow in a campfire - it starts to get really hot and gooey. That's kind of what happens to the warhead as it reenters the atmosphere.
Finally, the warhead reaches the last phase of its flight - the terminal phase. This is when the warhead is very close to its target and it adjusts its course to make sure it hits the right spot. The warhead might use small thrusters or fins to make tiny course corrections so that it hits its target accurately.
And that's it! The ballistic missile has completed its flight phases and has hit its target (hopefully not a person or anything alive!).