Thermal rocket

Thermal rocket

What Are Rockets?

Published in Travis S. Taylor, Introduction to Rocket Science and Engineering, 2017

The engine consisted of a fire to heat a reservoir of water, which was converted to steam. The steam then rose through tubes to a sphere, which collected the steam and became a pressure vessel as more and more steam became compressed into it. The sphere was suspended such that it could freely spin about a horizontal axis. On opposite sides of the sphere, orthogonal to the spin axis, were two small outlets for the steam. As the pressurized steam forced its way out of the pressure vessel and through the outlet “nozzles,” the force of the steam caused the sphere to rotate about the spin axis. In actuality, Hero’s engine contains most parts of a simple thermal rocket engine.

Systematic Component Investigation of the Steady-State High-Temperature In-Pile Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Experimental Test Bed

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Journal Information

Published in Nuclear Technology, 2022

Tyler R. Steiner, Richard H. Howard

A nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) produces thrust by heating, typically hydrogen propellant through a nuclear reactor core at roughly 2500 K (Ref. 1). This offers advantages over conventional chemical rockets by utilizing a less massive propellant and producing a larger specific impulse. A larger specific impulse presents the capability for faster transit times. Reducing travel time is essential to limit the deleterious effects of space radiation on the spacecraft’s crew and electronic systems. The nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) environment consists of high-temperature hydrogen in a radiation field. Experimental testing is necessary to qualify components in such a harsh environment.

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What Are Rockets?

Systematic Component Investigation of the Steady-State High-Temperature In-Pile Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Experimental Test Bed