Rocket
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A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft - manned (e.g. Saturn V); or unmanned (e.g. Phoenix air-to-air missile) that can rise because exhaust thrust from the the engine/s generally) exceeds the weight of the vehicle in relation to it's dead weight on earth. In defense applications rockets are bound to the same aerodynamic limitations/conditions as other flying machines within the earth's atmosphere. Unmanned rockets however are not bound by the gravitational limits of human operators (+/- 9 g's) Generally, rockets exceed the speed of sound (Mach 1) and may reach speeds of up to Mach 5 (atmospheric) or far greater - up to 30'000km/hr in LEO (low Earth Orbit). Rockets do not use atmospheric oxygen like jets/airliners use, but rely on self-contained propulsives which allow it/them to operate beyond the limits of earth's atmosphere.
