From: Philip Witham (p.j.witham@ieee.org)
Date: Thu Jul 01 1999 - 00:04:23 MDT
Doug! You're whistling my tune!
>Doug Jones wrote:
>Actually, for modest delta-v high acceleration missions,
Like getting out of this damn gravity well...
>pressure-fed combustors with filament wound tanks win over any pump
>system.
...For the price (total development and life cycle cost: $/KG delivered).
>Lower pressure engines are easier to regeneratively or ablatively
>cool, although they have lower performance in the atmosphere. In
>vaccum, they do as well as higher pressure engines, but are a bit
>bulky (1/4 pressure needs 2x nozzle diameter for same thrust).
...Yes sir! And size is a lesser factor in component and system cost.
And a really wide second stage nozzle can be a corrugated stainless
steel cone, wrapped around the first stage. Pc=75PSI!
>Ignition sequence timing is simpler, since you only have to light
>the chamber, no preburner or gas generator needed.
...And fewer transducers to wire, tubes to bend, fittings to leak,
control and data acquisition channels to build, less software to
write, the list goes on.
>As for barnstorming, there is some very real interest in a flying
>Me-163 replica... now *that* would be a fun project.
Hoooboy, the human who could safely fly that would be one steely eyed
heroic type! Though, I think if you asked for a pilot, you'd get 2,000
volunteers.
-PW
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