afterbody
Behind the nosecone
The afterbody is the rear section of a vehicle, aircraft, or spacecraft—typically everything behind the midsection or main body.
In aerospace contexts, it refers specifically to the portion of a craft aft of the maximum cross-section: The afterbody generates significant drag during reentry.
The term also applies to the rear hull section of ships and boats.
Crossbar above a door
- sternStrict or ship's aft
- counterFlat service surface
- wakePath left in water
- dragResistance through fluid
hydrodynamics · streamlines · turbulence · boundary layer · vortex · eddy · laminar flow · resistance
Spacecraft portion surviving atmospheric return
- rocketPropulsion-driven spacecraft
- missileSelf-guided airborne weapon
- payloadCarried freight or charge
- nose coneTapered forward section
airframe · fuselage · boattail · aerodynamics · projectile · warhead · fairing · heat shield
Aft vertical hull timber
- transomCrossbar above a door
- fantailRadial plume arrangement
- taffrailShip's rear deck railing
- poop deckHighest deck aft
quarterdeck · counter · frames · plating · skeg · horn · gudgeon · pintle
Rotating blades creating thrust
- rudderPivoting stern blade
- shaftNarrow vertical passage
- screwThreaded metal fastener
- thrustForceful forward motion
cavitation · pitch · blade · torque · engine room · transmission · reduction gear
transom
Crossbar above a door
drag · hydrodynamics · streamlines · turbulence · boundary layer · vortex · eddy · laminar flow · resistance · cavitation
reentry vehicle
Spacecraft portion surviving atmospheric return
- rocketPropulsion-driven spacecraft
- missileSelf-guided airborne weapon
- payloadCarried freight or charge
nose cone · airframe · fuselage · boattail · aerodynamics · projectile · warhead · fairing · heat shield · trajectory
sternpost
Aft vertical hull timber
poop deck · quarterdeck · counter · frames · plating · skeg · horn · gudgeon · pintle · bulkhead
propeller
Rotating blades creating thrust
thrust · cavitation · pitch · blade · torque · engine room · transmission · reduction gear
body, after, afterward, bodily, aftermath, afternoon, afterlife, aftershave, aftertaste