brennschluss means the moment in the path of a rocket when the fuel burns out, after which it continues its ballistic trajectory under only the forces of gravity and air resistance (if present).
brennschluss is pronounced /ˈbɹɛnʃlʊs/.
Why “brennschluss” is a great word
The precise moment a rocket’s propellant is exhausted and active combustion ceases, after which it enters an unpowered ballistic arc. The word is borrowed from German *Brennschluss*, from *brennen* (“to burn”) + *Schluss* (“end, conclusion”). Unlike “apogee,” which names the subsequent apex of the trajectory, or “cutoff,” a generic term for halting a process, *Brennschluss* is the exact terminus of controlled thrust. It is the sudden, profound silence after a deafening roar, the flame guttering out in the void, the instant a flung object becomes truly subject to gravity alone—the point at which intention ends and destiny is merely mathematics.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Brennschluss.
noun
- The moment in the path of a rocket when the fuel burns out, after which it continues its ballistic trajectory under only the forces of gravity and air resistance (if present).e.g.“The white line, abruptly, has stopped its climb. That would be fuel cutoff, end of burning, what’s their word... Brennschluss. We don’t have one. Or else it’s classified.” — 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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