A liquid propulsion panorama
2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 65; Issue: 11-12 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.04.020
ISSN1879-2030
AutoresPhilippe Caisso, Alain Souchier, Christophe Rothmund, Patrick Alliot, C. Bonhomme, W. Zinner, Randy C. Parsley, Todd Neill, Scott Forde, R. Starke, William Wang, Mamoru Takahashi, Masahiro Atsumi, Dominique Valentian,
Tópico(s)Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies
ResumoLiquid-propellant rocket engines are widely used all over the world, thanks to their high performances, in particular high thrust-to-weight ratio. The present paper presents a general panorama of liquid propulsion as a contribution of the IAF Advanced Propulsion Prospective Group. After a brief history of its past development in the different parts of the world, the current status of liquid propulsion, the currently observed trends, the possible areas of future improvement and a summarized road map of future developments are presented. The road map includes a summary of the liquid propulsion status presented in the "Year in review 2007" of Aerospace America. Although liquid propulsion is often seen as a mature technology with few areas of potential improvement, the requirements of an active commercial market and a renewed interest for space exploration has led to the development of a family of new engines, with more design margins, simpler to use and to produce associated with a wide variety of thrust and life requirements.
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