What is the most efficient rocket fuel?

liquid hydrogen
In combination with an oxidizer such as liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen yields the highest specific impulse, or efficiency in relation to the amount of propellant consumed, of any known rocket propellant.

Can mercury be used as rocket fuel?

The idea of using mercury as a spacecraft fuel is not exactly new. Mercury is much heavier than either xenon or krypton, so spacecraft carrying them would be able to generate more thrust. Of course, mercury is also a dangerous neurotoxin, so NASA stopped using it after SERT.

Which is the most efficient rocket engine?

ARCA Space Corporation has announced that it will launch its aerospike rocket engine – a type of engine that can boost a rocket from the ground into space in only one stage – in August this year.

What makes a rocket engine efficient?

For a rocket engine to be propellant efficient, it is important that the maximum pressures possible be created on the walls of the chamber and nozzle by a specific amount of propellant; as this is the source of the thrust.

Why do rockets use liquid oxygen?

Combustion (burning something) releases energy, which makes things go. Start with fuel (something to burn) and an oxidizer (something to make it burn) and now you’ve got propellant. Give it a spark and energy is released, along with some byproducts. Liquid oxygen (LOX) serves as the oxidizer.

How do you use mercury as fuel?

It is difficult to use as a fuel, but it is very useful as a reaction mass for space travel. Ion drive engines can use mercury, it’s conductive and easy to ionise and its high weight gives good Isp. There are other better alternatives, depending on the type of drive but mercury is a good one.

What is mercury vortex engine?

The Vaimanika Shastra describes the construction of mercury vortex engine. This is same as Vedic ion engine propelled by the use of mercury. Mercury engines were used in many Vimanas. In mercury engine, propellant tanks are filled with liquid air obtained from the atmosphere.

What is the cheapest rocket fuel?

Now if you’re talking serious rockets, the two cheapest are probably liquefied natural gas (methane) for liquids, or parrafin wax or rubber for solids and hybrids. Natural gas is exceptionally inexpensive, so cheap it’s now one of the cheapest energy sources in the United States.

Which rocket engine has the highest ISP?

People don’t mention that the thrust to weight ratio of these engines are close to 0 because of super low mass flow rates (Thrust=massflow*(exit velocity)). The highest Isp ever used on a launch vehicle is the Space shuttle main engine that used LOX/LH2 and reached and Isp of 452s in a vacuum.

Why are rockets so inefficient?

Rockets are inefficient You point it in the direction you want to go and then rapidly release a load of energy under it (explode your fuel with oxygen) until the force from the explosion pushes the rocket up. This is very inefficient. Along with their fuel, rockets must also carry all the oxygen they need to burn it.

Are bigger rockets more efficient?

The primary motivation for the development of large capacity launch vehicles seems to be that of efficiency – a bigger vehicle will be more efficient at delivering a given payload to LEO than multiple smaller vehicles.

Should Mercury be used as a fuel in rockets?

Bloomberg Businessweek reports on Apollo Fusion, a new company designing a propulsion system for rocket engines that would use mercury as a fuel. Mercury has promise in this field, sure. But launching any rocket using this system would entail the risk of spreading a toxic substance through the atmosphere.

What is the fuel efficiency of a rocket engine?

Fuel efficiency is indicated by the typical specific impulse of an engine using that fuel. Liquid fuels typically have Isp in the 300’s, while solid rockets have Isp values in the 100′s – 200′s. However, another generalization is that solid fuel engines produce greater thrusts than liquid engines.

How efficient are ion thrusters compared to chemical rockets?

Chemical rockets have demonstrated fuel efficiencies up to 35 percent, but ion thrusters have demonstrated fuel efficiencies over 90 percent. Currently, ion thrusters are used to keep communication satellites in the proper position relative to Earth and for the main propulsion on deep space probes.

Why did NASA stop using mercury in engines?

Of course, mercury is also a dangerous neurotoxin, so NASA stopped using it after SERT. Apollo Fusion is planning to bring mercury back, at least according to a collection of industry insiders talking to Bloomberg. If they’re successful, they could provide low-cost, high-power ion engines for satellites and spacecraft.