3 ms·
That's not what specific impulse is... Or at least, I've never heard it explained that way. Certainly no chemical thruster has a specific impulse in the thous
by natosaichek 9y ago
That's not what specific impulse is... Or at least, I've never heard it explained that way.
Certainly no chemical thruster has a specific impulse in the thousands. The SSME was the most efficient chemical rocket for a long time, with an Isp of ~450 seconds.
Specific impulse is directly proportional to exhaust velocity, and the units of "seconds" come dividing the
velocity (m/s) by the acceleration of gravity (m/s^2) leaving 'seconds'.
- JumpCrisscross 9y agoPre-coffee brain fart. Should be 250 to 500. The physical analogy is, within approximation, an accurate way to think about isp.