How do rockets overcome Earth’s gravity?

Rockets overcome gravity by creating a powerful force called thrust. When the rocket’s engines burn fuel, hot gases rush downward out of the nozzle. According to Newton’s law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction—so the rocket gets pushed up. Engineers calculate how much thrust is needed based on the weight of the rocket. Heavy rockets need more powerful engines and lots of fuel. Rockets are built in stages; each stage is dropped when empty to make the rocket lighter and speedier. Thrust stronger than Earth’s gravity lets rockets rise and fly into space.​