Space fuel?

Question

What fuel is used in spacecrafts? I know there is two different types, for lift off and propulsion in orbit.

Answer 1

liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The space shuttle uses a solid fuel rocket, which is mainly aluminum and some other chemicals.

Answer 2

There are avariety of fuels. The space shuttle uses two rocety systems to lift off--the Solid Rocket Boosters (aluminum/iron oxide) and the main engines (liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH). In orbit it uses hydrazine--which does not have to be kept at teh extremely low cryogenic temperatures LOx and LH require.

Other rockets use other fuels (there are hundreds of combinations). The new "Spaceship One" uses a "hybrid rocket" with rubber (which is classed as a hydrocarbon" and a liquid nitrogen compound.

There are lots of other combinations that are used--or being considered for use--depending on the particular launch system and needs. These include LOX/kerosene and Hydrogen peroxide/kerosene. In either case, other hydrocarbons (kerosene is also a hydrocarbon) like propane or methane can be sued with hydrogen peroxior LOX.

Eventually, for spacecraft that will stay in space and travel to the moon and other planets, we'll need better fuels--probably using either solar power or nuclear power to heat pure hydroge--or one of several other technologies.

Answer 3

The propellant mixture in each SRB motor consists of an ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer, 69.6 percent by weight), aluminum (fuel, 16 percent), iron oxide (a catalyst, 0.4 percent), a polymer (a binder that holds the mixture together, 12.04 percent), and an epoxy curing agent (1.96 percent). Oxidizer (choose one of LOX, hydrogen peroxide, red fuming nitric acid etc.) and Kerosene hydrazine monopropellant pressurized nitrogen used in space-walking jet packs

An example:

Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS)

The NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter carries two OMS pods (name coined by Aerojet), each housing a single Aerojet OMS engine for orbit insertion, maneuvering, and re-entry initiation. They are capable of 100 missions and 500 starts in space.

Applications Space Shuttle orbit/de-orbit insertion, circularization
First Flown April 12th, 1981, on the Orbiter Columbia
Number Flown 14, to end of 1993
Dry Mass 118 kg
Length 195.6 cm
Maximum Diameter 116.8 cm
Mounting gimbaled ( 7 degrees yaw ( 6 pitch by two electromechanical actuators for thrust vector control
Engine Cycle pressure-fed (improvement underway for pump-fed)
Oxidizer 6743 kg nitrogen tetroxide in each pod (pods can be cross-linked)
Fuel 4087 kg of monomethyl hydrazine in each pod (pods can be cross-linked)
Mixture Ratio 1.65:1
Thrust 26.7 kN vacuum
Isp 316 sec vacuum
Expansion Ratio 55:1
Combustion Chamber Pressure 8.62 atm
Cooling Method fuel regenerative for chamber, radiative for nozzle
Burn Time qualified for 500 starts, 15 hr/100 mission life, longest firing 1250 sec, de-orbit burn typically 150-250 secs

Answer 4

Hi. For liftoff there are three types that I know of - Hydrogen + Oxygen, Oxygen + kerosene, and Oxygen + rubber (SpaceShipOne). In space they use mainly hydrazine. : http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts100.html