After setting foot on the Moon, the next destination for humankind is Mars, which presents a whole new set of challenges in speedy, long-distance space travel.
It’s a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine"
What makes the RDRE so revolutionary is that it makes use of a sustained detonation circling around a ring-shaped channel, fed by a mix of fuel and oxygen which is ignited by each passing explosion.
Crucially, the RDRE uses less propellant fuel than conventional rocket engines, and is simpler in terms of its machinery and mechanisms. That means going into space becomes cheaper, and traveling further distances becomes possible.Saved you a click.
NASA invented a space ship powered by a rotary engine? Noice, at least until the apex seals give out, but they should be good for 80k at least.
So they invented the rocket powered wheel?
No, it’s just gas powered car that still needs tanks and has everyone knows a around trip back to anywhere requires gas. The “ECO” of space travel.
And how else are you going to move things in space? Are you hiding a reactionless drive over there? Less fuel use is a good thing.
We don’t have unlimited fuel, rockets cost too much fuel. It’s not even normal fuel either, it’s rare chemistry rocket technology that takes a while to develop.
Alright so nobody’s going to stop launching rockets realistically, there’s too much potential in space to just ignore, rdre are a way to do the same with less.
That sounds sick. I wonder which sci-fi author came up with this idea ~60 years ago.
Maybe the Jetsons, or the turbine engines in Star Wars? If you squint hard enough, it comes close enough.
So it’s truthfully Revolutionary, hark! A spinning engine
Revolutionary
I see what they did there.
This is a fancy aerospike engine right? The rotating detinations gives it higher chamber pressure and therefore better ISP or something?
I will look for the Scott Manley video on this later (I think it was him?) Edit: also a Real Engineering one that explains the aero-spike nozzle
Anyone have the ISP of this experiment to compare to other engines?
Correction: Get the rich fast to mars.
If they’re leaving them there, I’d be all for it
