Glossary

This page contains a glossary of terms used on the site. Most of these terms are standard for the hobby, but a few of them do merit additional explanation. A further explanation of motor statistics can be found on the Motor Statistics page and more information on certification organizations can be found on the Certification page.

Avg. Thrust	The Total Impulse (Newton-seconds) divided by the Burn Time (seconds) yields the average thrust (Newtons). See the Motor Statistics page for more info.
Brand Name	The marketing name of the motor as specified by the manufacturer. Usually this is the same as the Common Name, but some manufacturers use different patterns.
Burn Time	The number of seconds for which the motor burns. (Per NFPA 1125, the beginning and end of the curve, where the thrust is below 5% of the maximum, are excluded.) See the Motor Statistics page for more info.
Case Info	Additional information about the motor case provided by the certification organization.
Cert. Date	The start date for the certification of this motor.
Cert. Desig.	The designation for this motor as assigned by the certification organization, usually reflecting the tested values.
Cert. End	The ending date for the certification of this motor.
Cert. Org.	The organization that certified this motor. See the Certification page for more info.
Common Name	The commonly-used name of the motor. This standard format includes the Impulse Class and average thrust. See the Motor Statistics page for more info.
Data Format	The format of the simulator data. Different flight simulators use data in different formats, although the "RASP" format has become the standard for data interchange. See the Simulators page for more info.
Data Sheet	This is the web page provided by the certification organization on a particular motor. Those pages often contain more detail on the motor, including official thrust curves and other statistics.
Data Source	Where the simulator data comes from: "cert" is data provided by the certification organization, "mfr" is data provided by the motor manufacturer, and "user" is data authored by an unofficial source.
Delays	The list of delays available for this motor (if any).
Designation	The official name of the motor as specified by the manufacturer. Some manufacturers (notable HyperTek) use a designation that is very different from the Common Name and not very useful for searching.
Diameter	The outer diameter of the motor case in millimeters.
Impulse Class	The category of total impulse to which the motor belongs. See the Motor Statistics page for more info.
I_SP	The "specific impulse" is the total impulse over the weight of the propellant, which gives you a measure of the motors efficiency for lifting since the higher this number is, the more impulse you get for the motor's weight. See the Motor Statistics page for more info.
Length	The overall length of the motor case in millimeters.
Max Q	The point in flight when the rocket encounters the maximum dynamic pressure. For hobby rockets, which stay in the lower atmosphere, max Q occurs at maximum velocity. See the Wikipedia article for more info.
Max Thrust	The maximum thrust (Newtons) produced by the motor.
Propellant Info	Additional information about the propellant provided by the certification organization.
Prop. Weight	The weight of the propellant used by this motor in grams (g).
Total Impulse	The total amount of energy produced by the motor (Newton-seconds). See the Motor Statistics page for more info.
Total Weight	The total loaded weight of this motor (propellant and case) in grams (g).
Type	The style of motor. Single-use motors (SU) are used just once and discarded. Reloadable motors use solid propellant and a reusable aluminum motor case. Hybrid motors use solid propellant and a gaseous oxidizer.

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