Brennschluss

/ˈbrɛnʃlʊs/ noun

Definition

The point during a rocket launch when an engine shuts down because it has exhausted its fuel supply.

Etymology

German compound word: 'Brennstoff' (burning fuel) + 'Schluss' (conclusion/end). Adopted into English aerospace terminology during the Space Age when many rocket terms came from German engineering.

Kelly Says

German rocket scientists like Wernher von Braun brought this term to NASA, and it became essential jargon for calculating trajectories—brennschluss is the critical moment where physics takes over and the rocket coasts on momentum toward its target.

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