3 ms·

Looks interesting, but could somebody please explain this like I'm 5?

• ChuckMcM 14y ago
  Well it is rocket science. I can strongly recommend any version of "Rocket Propulsion Elements: And Introduction to the Engineering of Rockets" Knowing calculus when you read it is helpful but not essential. That said, rocket engine design is a tradeoff between how much energy you generate in the combustion chamber and your ability to direct the resulting hot gas in the direction you want it to go. Highly temperature resistant materials like ceramics can take a lot of heat, but they don't have a lot of tensile strength, things like metals which are very tough generally become weaker the hotter they get. Combined with the fact that combustion chamber shape determines how the gases will burn, and you find yourself trying to design something that is very durable, can withstand significant pressure, and can take a lot of heat. Model rocket engines basically consume themselves as they burn being their own combustion chamber, but liquid or gaseous fueled rockets have to deal with the heat. The kicker is that if you don't get enough energy in the combustion chamber, you can't generate enough thrust to counteract the force of gravity so you can't even get off the ground. The Space Shuttle's engines use tubing that runs through the engine 'bells' that cryogenic liquid runs through prior to being burned as fuel. This keeps them cool enough to contain the engine burn without melting or losing structural stability. That isn't something someone can build on a 'whim'. This guy made something similar using a 3D printing process on metals. Assuming that the metal's tensile strength is sufficient post printing, this sidesteps a huge barrier to amateurs making liquid/gaseous fueled engines.