Does the centre of mass of a rocket in free space accelerate? Explain. Can the speed of a rocket exceed the exhaust speed of the fuel? Explain.

Explanation

In empty space, the centre of mass of a rocket plus fuel system does not accelerate during a burn, because no outside force acts on this system. The rocket body does accelerate as it blows exhaust containing momentum out of its back.
According to the text's basic expression for rocket propulsion, the change in speed of the rocket body will be larger than the s of the exhaust relative to the rocket, if the final mass is less than `37%` of the original mass,