M. Porter, Senior Executive, Master of Art, San Jose
Answered Nov 27, 2018
Rocket science is a term that was coined years ago to describe a very difficult subject. People would say about something easy, “this isn’t rocket science.” However, rockets are part of space and the exploration of the universe. Therefore, the science of studying rocketry would be considered to very well be a part of cosmology. Cosmology is the study of the world and how the world plays a part with the universe and space.
Rockets are sent into space from earth to put things into orbit or to help astronauts learn about the planets, sun, black hole and other parts of space that can’t be studied by the people on earth. There are many different sciences other than rocket science that are a part of cosmology.
Rocket science is only a part of cosmology in that rockets go up into space. It's a joke, a hackneyed phrase for anything complex or difficult to understand. Usually when being patronising to someone who doesn't seem able to follow a simple idea or instructions, "this isn't rocket science".
In fact, rocket science uses Newton's Laws of Motion and the forces on a rocket - the center of gravity, thrust, stability, and combustion, to demonstrate and explain how we put satellites and astronauts into space. Rocket science is a very different area of study from cosmology. Beware of associating the two or you'll make embarrassing mistakes.