NASA announced the successful test of an innovative rocket engine with large thrust for a mission to the planet Mars. Photo/NASA/CBSNews
FLORIDA – NASA announced the successful test of an innovative high-thrust rocket engine for a mission to planet Mars . The Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) rocket prototype that was tested produced 25,810 newtons (5,800 pounds) of thrust for 251 seconds.
Tests conducted by NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama have set new records for this technology. This number beats the 17,800 newtons of thrust that the RDRE rocket engine achieved by almost one minute in 2022.
This step comes closer to achieving the goal of building a fully reusable 44 kilonewton class RDRE rocket and improving the capabilities of traditional liquid rocket engines. “RDRE enables a big leap in design efficiency,” said Thomas Teasley, RDRE project leader, quoted by SINDOnews from the Science Alert page, Thursday (4/1/2023).
The RDRE rocket was revolutionary because it utilized a sustained explosion that rotated around a ring-shaped channel. This process utilizes a flow of a mixture of fuel and oxygen which is ignited by each explosion that occurs.
This technology has been in development for years, and has been tested in laboratories since 2020. However, only now have scientists shown that this technology is stable and manageable enough to be used in real rockets for missions to space.
Most importantly, RDRE rockets use less propellant fuel than conventional rocket engines, because the engine mechanism is simpler. This means that missions to space become cheaper and can travel farther.
The engineers behind the tests say they now have a better understanding of how the combustion chamber can be scaled up. It was then adapted to support different levels of thrust, different types of engine systems, and different mission classes.
NASA hopes the first humans can set foot on Martian soil in the 2030s. There are still many hurdles to overcome in terms of getting to Mars and surviving once we’re there, but having efficient means of propulsion will help overcome the more significant obstacles.
“This shows that we are getting closer to creating a lightweight propulsion system that will enable sending more mass and payload further into space. “This is an important component in NASA’s Moon to Mars vision,” Teasley said.
(wib)
2024-01-04 01:04:24
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