Awesome NASA Megarocket Engine Test Burns Blue (Photo)
What could be mistaken for a futuristic water cannon is actually a piece of technology developed more than 50 years ago that is destined to help launch NASA’s next megarocket, the Space Launch System.
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CrazyNeutrino said:
Awesome NASA Megarocket Engine Test Burns Blue (Photo)What could be mistaken for a futuristic water cannon is actually a piece of technology developed more than 50 years ago that is destined to help launch NASA’s next megarocket, the Space Launch System.
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So this thread could be called “NASA’s rocket technology hasn’t improved in more than 50 years”?
More on the RL-10 rocket engine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RL10
A few minutes after launch they throttle the engines down and then throttle them up again.
Is this something to do with Mach 1.
This engine has traveled to each planet in our solar system,
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That was so surprising that I felt compelled to fact-check it. (Checks out)
> This engine has traveled to each planet in our solar system,
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> That was so surprising that I felt compelled to fact-check it. (Checks out)
Thanks for checking.
Peak Warming Man said:
A few minutes after launch they throttle the engines down and then throttle them up again.
Is this something to do with Mach 1.
Air drag. The minimum fuel usage for a launch occurs when the downward force due to air drag is identical to the downward force due to gravity. The air drag is roughly proportional to the square of the velocity. So it’s important to throttle then engines down when passing through the stratosphere to avoid wasting fuel pushing against air drag.
This is not something to do with Mach 1.
mollwollfumble said:
> This engine has traveled to each planet in our solar system,
—-
> That was so surprising that I felt compelled to fact-check it. (Checks out)Thanks for checking.
Peak Warming Man said:
A few minutes after launch they throttle the engines down and then throttle them up again.
Is this something to do with Mach 1.
Air drag. The minimum fuel usage for a launch occurs when the downward force due to air drag is identical to the downward force due to gravity. The air drag is roughly proportional to the square of the velocity. So it’s important to throttle then engines down when passing through the stratosphere to avoid wasting fuel pushing against air drag.
This is not something to do with Mach 1.
Thank you stout yeoman.
Peak Warming Man said:
mollwollfumble said:
> This engine has traveled to each planet in our solar system,
—-
> That was so surprising that I felt compelled to fact-check it. (Checks out)Thanks for checking.
Peak Warming Man said:
A few minutes after launch they throttle the engines down and then throttle them up again.
Is this something to do with Mach 1.
Air drag. The minimum fuel usage for a launch occurs when the downward force due to air drag is identical to the downward force due to gravity. The air drag is roughly proportional to the square of the velocity. So it’s important to throttle then engines down when passing through the stratosphere to avoid wasting fuel pushing against air drag.
This is not something to do with Mach 1.
Thank you stout yeoman.
FWIW aero drag increases fairly rapidly close to mach one, then stabilises for a while (up to around M 1.2 or so) then starts climbing again.