What is drag NASA?

Drag is the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air. Drag is generated by every part of the airplane (even the engines!). How is drag generated? Drag is a mechanical force. It is generated by the interaction and contact of a solid body with a fluid (liquid or gas).

What is the definition of drag NASA?

In its simplest form, drag is defined as the resistive force on an object as it attempts to move through a fluid (such as air or water). Drag acts opposite to the direction of motion of the object that is moving.

What does drag mean in aerospace?

Drag is the force that resists movement of an aircraft through the air. There are two basic types: parasite drag and induced drag. The first is called parasite because it in no way functions to aid flight, while the second, induced drag, is a result of an airfoil developing lift.

What is drag in astronomy?

Satellite Drag. Drag is a force exerted on an object moving through a fluid, and it is oriented in the direction of relative fluid flow. Drag acts opposite to the direction of motion and tends to slow an object.

What is drag on a rocket?

We can also think of drag as aerodynamic resistance to the motion of the object through the fluid. This source of drag depends on the shape of the rocket and is called form drag. As air flows around a body, the local velocity and pressure are changed.

NASA - How drag, lift, and thrust work

What is thrust vs drag?

Thrust works opposite of drag. When the forces are balanced, a plane flies in a level direction. The plane goes up if the forces of lift and thrust are more than gravity and drag. If gravity and drag are bigger than lift and thrust, the plane goes down.

What does drag do?

Drag is a force that opposes or resists motion, caused by collisions of moving objects with molecules in a fluid like air or water. It is similar to surface friction since both oppose motion, but drag occurs specifically in moving fluids.

What is drag in short answer?

Drag is the force that opposes the motion of such a fluid-filled body. Drag force constantly works throughout the opposing directions of flowing fluid. Drag forces are produced when there is any movement in the air, fluid, or indeed any medium.

What is drag explained simply?

Description. In aerodynamics, drag refers to forces that oppose the relative motion of an object through the air. Drag always opposes the motion of the object and, in an aircraft, is overcome by thrust.

What creates drag?

Air flowing past an object pushes harder against the front than the back. This difference creates a backward force called pressure drag.

Is drag good or bad for aircraft?

Since drag slows down airplanes and makes them less efficient (requiring more fuel), engineers aim to design planes that reduce drag. Minimizing the amount of drag acting on aircraft often involves modifying the wing and/or fuselage shapes.

Why is it called a drag?

The term originated as British theater slang in the 19th century and was used to describe women's clothing worn by men. Today, many prominent drag artists are still people who identify as men and present themselves in exaggeratedly feminine ways as part of their performance, and are known as drag queens.

What is an example of drag in aerodynamics?

Examples of drag include the component of the net aerodynamic or hydrodynamic force acting opposite to the direction of movement of a solid object such as cars (automobile drag coefficient), aircraft and boat hulls; or acting in the same geographical direction of motion as the solid, as for sails attached to a down ...

Why is air resistance called drag?

The resistance pushes the object backward, or in other words, pulls it back. This pullback force is called the drag force.

What is the NASA drag equation?

The drag equation states that drag D is equal to the drag coefficient Cd times the density r times half of the velocity V squared times the reference area A. For given air conditions, shape, and inclination of the object, we must determine a value for Cd to determine drag.

Can you experience drag in space?

Spacecraft Drag

Spacecraft in LEO experience periods of increased drag that causes them to speed-up, lose altitude and finally reenter the atmosphere. Short-term drag effects are generally felt by spacecraft <1,000 km altitude in an atmospheric region called the thermosphere.

How does drag affect an airplane?

Drag is the force that pushes planes backwards and slows them down as they fly through the air. Many current innovations in flight are focused on decreasing drag on planes as much as possible. With less drag, planes are able to achieve faster speeds with the same amount of thrust as they had before.

What is the best way to explain drag?

Drag has many interpretations but is loosely defined as performing in an exaggerated way that caricatures or challenges male or female stereotypes. With bold costumes, makeup, and characters, drag taps into our human desire for fun, play, and creativity.

What is drag in one sentence?

He was barely able to drag his poisoned leg behind him. He drags his leg, and he can hardly lift his arm. Yesterday police frogmen dragged a small pond on the Common. The minutes dragged past.

What is the best example of drag?

For example drag on a ship moving in water or drag on a plane moving in the air. Therefore a drag force is the resistance force caused by the motion of a body through a fluid like water or air. This drag force acts opposite to the direction of the oncoming flow velocity.

How do you reduce drag on rockets?

Making a rocket as narrow as possible is the best way to reduce drag. The speed of a rocket through the air similarly increases drag. As speed doubles, drag increases four times as much.

What is an example of drag?

Air resistance is an example of the drag force , which is force that objects feel when they move through a fluid (liquid or gas). Similar to kinetic friction , drag force is reactive because it only exists when the object is moving and it points in the opposite direction to the object's motion through the fluid.

Is drag the same as air resistance?

Also known as 'drag,' air resistance is a force caused by air. The air particles hit the front of an object, causing it to slow down. The greater the surface area, the greater the number of air particles hit the object and the greater the overall resistance.

Does drag slow you down?

Aerodynamic drag is the force of the air acting to slow down a body moving through it. The faster you go, the more air you have to push out of your way, and the more it pushes you backwards. The more “streamlined” it is, and the smaller it is, the lower the drag.

Is drag bad in aerodynamics?

Ideal Drag:

Manufacturers always try to keep the Aerodynamic Drag to the minimum possible. It is because it has a negative effect on the vehicle's performance and efficiency. For example, the upright stance of some vehicles gives it a drag coefficient of 1.30, while a raindrop design has the least amount of drag.