Learning about how air resistance impacts rocketry using graphs!

Look at the attatched files containing data from a real-life space shuttle launch and answer the following questions: 

1. Describe the shape of the acceleration curve. Is it perfectly linear as you might expect? Thinking about our discussion of air resistance, what might be an explanation for what you are seeing in the curve? 

2. Take a look at the Shuttle Weight curve next. What shape does it have? Can you create an explanation for its general shape? 

3. Now compare the two graphs to each other. Can you start to decode what this launch might have looked like? Was it a 1, 2, or 3 stage rocket?