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What kind of fuel is NASA using for Space shuttles and rockets?

2007-03-18 10:13:40 · 6 answers · asked by zex 2 in Cars & Transportation Aircraft

6 answers

The space shuttle uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for the 3 main engines, and a mixture of aluminium powder (fuel) and ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer) (with some additional stuff to bind everything together).
As for other rockets, there is a lot of variations. Some would use kerosene (essentially jet fuel) with liquid oxygen, some other nitrogen tetroxide or hydrogen peroxide as oxydizer and hydrazine as fuel.

2007-03-18 11:38:44 · answer #1 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 0 0

The SSMEs burn liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. One fact that always impressed me is that the pumps are gas turbines, they look sort of like turbochargers, and they burn the same fuel.

The solid rocket boosters use ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer, 69.6 percent by weight), aluminum (fuel, 16 percent), iron oxide (a catalyst, 0.4 percent) and a polymer to bind the whole lot into a moldable solid that won't fall out as the shuttle stands on the pad. The massive explosion outside of Las Vegas that wiped out a chemical plant was an amonium perchlorate explosion, they were producing it for the shuttle program.

2007-03-18 11:44:23 · answer #2 · answered by Chris H 6 · 2 0

in the event that they run out of hydrogen the human race and existence as all of us understand that's in massive hassle. Ever heard of water? Water is composed of two aspects hydrogen one section oxygen. They make hydrogen from water. the reason we don't use hydrogen to gasoline different issues, like vehicles, is via the fact it is totally high priced to make it, which makes its unpractical for mass transportation, to no longer point out it is extremely risky if it explodes. The rockets that lifted the return and forth into orbit have been good rocket boosters. think of extremely extremely massive Estes rocket engines. that's a moot element, the return and forth software is retired. there heavily isn't yet another return and forth launch.

2016-12-15 03:07:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The boosters on the sides use solid rocket fuel...probably a mixture of solidified hydrogen and other propellants.

2007-03-18 10:34:03 · answer #4 · answered by powhound 7 · 0 1

liquid hydrogen
kerosine
monomethyl hydrazine
dimethyl hydrazine
aluminum powder

hope this helps

2007-03-18 11:01:00 · answer #5 · answered by Jozh Miller 2 · 0 1

liquid oxygen and/or liquid hydrogen

2007-03-18 10:20:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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