Final answer:
In rocket propulsion, the action is the expulsion of exhaust gases, while the reaction is the thrust that moves the rocket upward. Rocket boosters reach certain heights and speeds based on the forces acting at the time of detachment and the propulsion derived from chemical reactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a rocket is blasting off, the action is the ejection of exhaust gases out of the rocket's engines at high speeds. The reaction, according to Newton's third law of motion, is the thrust that propels the rocket upwards. This law states for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The detailed physics involved includes the rocket exerting a force backwards on the gas in the combustion chamber, which in turn forces the gas to exert an equal and opposite force (the thrust) forwards on the rocket. This propels the rocket forward, and this phenomenon allows rockets to work better in a vacuum, where they do not push against the air but rather expel exhaust gases more efficiently.
When a booster is released from the rocket, the altitude and velocity that the booster attains depends on the velocity it had at the moment of detachment and the forces acting on it thereafter, such as gravity. The motion of the center of mass of a rocket system remains constant unless acted upon by external forces. In the vacuum of space, without the influence of air resistance, only the forces resulting from the rockets' propulsion and gravitational pulls from celestial bodies will affect the trajectory of the booster.
The propulsion of rockets is a result of chemical reactions that produce hot gases, which are expelled to generate thrust. Solid rocket boosters, like those used on the Space Shuttle, use a mixture of ammonium perchlorate and powdered aluminum to produce this effect, creating aluminum oxide, water, nitrogen gas, and hydrogen chloride in the process, which in turn provides the necessary thrust to propel the rocket into space.