Paging all missile experts!
So the Trident missiles uses an extendable spike that comes out of the nosecone to reduce drag. This has been around since the 70s. Why don’t many rockets/missiles use this?
This Wikipedia page list a few, but the list is very short. Drag-reducing aerospike - Wikipedia
Most rockets and missiles have fixed pointy nose cones. I think the Trident has an extendable nose spike instead of a fixed one because it needs to fit inside a very limited storage space (submarine).
The Space Shuttle may appear to be an exception, but that’s because the nose of the orbiter isn’t the front end of the rocket stack. The end of the External tank is further forward, and that has a nose cone. When the orbiter is by itself, there’s no reason to try to minimize drag because it’s either in space or reentering the atmosphere and trying to slow down.
Interesting. Because of the blunt nose.
I was hoping Stranger On A Train could chime in as well. Apparently he doesn’t take PMs.
