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methane fuel is what we desperately need now, methane is the number one danger to our atmosphere and burning it is the most ecofriendly way of disposing of it.
by jlebrech 10y ago
methane fuel is what we desperately need now, methane is the number one danger to our atmosphere and burning it is the most ecofriendly way of disposing of it.
- Robotbeat 10y agoAll the next-generation large American commercial rockets will use methane. United Launch Alliance's Vulcan (15-30 tons payload to low orbit, depending on if solid rocket boosters are added) will, using two of Blue Origin's BE-4 methane engines. Blue Origin's reusable (initially partially, eventually fully reusable) New Glenn (40 tons payload to low orbit) will be using the same engines but 7 of them for the first stage and I think one of them for the second stage. SpaceX's fully reusable ITS (300 tons payload to orbit reusable, 500 tons expendable) will use 42 Raptor engines, full-flow staged combustion engines at ridiculously high chamber pressure. On just the first stage. 9 more Raptor engines on the spaceship portion (which is like a spacecraft/second-stage combination). Additionally, Masten Space Systems is developing a small-sat (1 ton or maybe 300kg, depending on if they're picked under DARPA's XS-1 program) launcher that would be highly reusable called Xepthyr that will use their Broadsword methane engine. BTW, Masten Space Systems actually inspired SpaceX to pursue vertical landing recovery years ago (SpaceX had previously tried using parachutes on Falcon 1 and the Falcon 9 first stages, without success) with this video that Elon Musk reportedly emailed to the whole company: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqm48D5WZ6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqm48D5WZ6A (And Masten also has been pursuing using a launch cradle instead of legs for landing, similar to what SpaceX pursued for ITS. And I think SpaceX got that idea from Masten, too.)
- simonh 10y agoI'm pretty sure any methane fuel they use will be manufactured for the purpose rather than extracted from the atmosphere. That means there's bound to be some leakage.
- jlebrech 10y agoleakage is happenening here http://siberiantimes.com/ecology/casestudy/news/n0681-now-the-proof-permafrost-bubbles-are-leaking-methane-200-times-above-the-norm/ http://siberiantimes.com/ecology/casestudy/news/n0681-now-th... we could extract this before it get's into the atmosphere.