miamiair wrote:I think propulsion should be the next frontier.
miamiair wrote:I think propulsion should be the next frontier.
bhmbaglock wrote:miamiair wrote:I think propulsion should be the next frontier.
Several new engines coming on line in the next year using methane rather than RP-1 and even the Russians and Chinese are moving away from toxic hypergolic fuels like UDMH, NTO, Hydrazine, etc.
Raptor from SpaceX is very impressive - full flow staged combustion, deep throttling ability, etc.
BE-4 from Blue Origin is a bit less ambitious but still a big jump over current engines.
For those who don't know, some of the advantages of Methane over RP-1 include cleaner burn/less coking in the engine, ability to theoretically manufacture fuel on the Moon or Mars using the Sabatier process, etc.
bearnard95 wrote:bhmbaglock wrote:miamiair wrote:I think propulsion should be the next frontier.
Several new engines coming on line in the next year using methane rather than RP-1 and even the Russians and Chinese are moving away from toxic hypergolic fuels like UDMH, NTO, Hydrazine, etc.
Raptor from SpaceX is very impressive - full flow staged combustion, deep throttling ability, etc.
BE-4 from Blue Origin is a bit less ambitious but still a big jump over current engines.
For those who don't know, some of the advantages of Methane over RP-1 include cleaner burn/less coking in the engine, ability to theoretically manufacture fuel on the Moon or Mars using the Sabatier process, etc.
I know that some comanies already use hybrid rockets for some microgravity missions and experiments.The term ``hybrid`` has been given to this rocket because it combines solid Hydroxyl Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) fuel and 90% Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) liquid oxidiser.