After setting foot on the Moon, the next destination for humankind is Mars, which presents a whole new set of challenges in speedy, long-distance space travel.

After setting foot on the Moon, the next destination for humankind is Mars, which presents a whole new set of challenges in speedy, long-distance space travel.

  • anonionfinelyminced@kbin.social
    168·
    11 months ago

    It’s a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine"

    What makes the RDRE so revolutionary is that it makes use of a sustained detonation circling around a ring-shaped channel, fed by a mix of fuel and oxygen which is ignited by each passing explosion.
    Crucially, the RDRE uses less propellant fuel than conventional rocket engines, and is simpler in terms of its machinery and mechanisms. That means going into space becomes cheaper, and traveling further distances becomes possible.

    Saved you a click.

    • ramjambamalam@lemmy.caEnglish
      37·
      11 months ago

      NASA invented a space ship powered by a rotary engine? Noice, at least until the apex seals give out, but they should be good for 80k at least.

        • Cocodapuf@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          11 months ago

          The wankel and rdre aren’t really related, but they’re similar in that they’re both oddball engines with surprising performance.

          Of all of my near future rocket engine predictions, a working aerospike rdre was not on my list… I’m honestly very impressed!

      • firecat@kbin.social
        1·
        11 months ago

        No, it’s just gas powered car that still needs tanks and has everyone knows a around trip back to anywhere requires gas. The “ECO” of space travel.

          • firecat@kbin.social
            2·
            11 months ago

            We don’t have unlimited fuel, rockets cost too much fuel. It’s not even normal fuel either, it’s rare chemistry rocket technology that takes a while to develop.

            • snugglesthefalse@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              5·
              11 months ago

              Alright so nobody’s going to stop launching rockets realistically, there’s too much potential in space to just ignore, rdre are a way to do the same with less.

  • Nighed@sffa.communityEnglish
    23·
    11 months ago

    This is a fancy aerospike engine right? The rotating detinations gives it higher chamber pressure and therefore better ISP or something?

    I will look for the Scott Manley video on this later (I think it was him?) Edit: also a Real Engineering one that explains the aero-spike nozzle

    Anyone have the ISP of this experiment to compare to other engines?

  • Ejh3k@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    I remember first hearing about the development of this back in the early 90s on Beyond 2000.

                • c10l@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  2·
                  11 months ago

                  Hey, no need to be sorry. I appreciate the search for correctness and especially the reference document.

                  Here’s what I’ve found.

                  There is no mention of km/h in section 4, “Non-SI units that are accepted for use with the SI”. It does mention h, making it a “non-SI unit that’s accepted for use with the SI.”

                  km/h is its own unit separate from h. It’s a unit of speed, derived from km and h.

                  My gut feel at this point is that km/h could be an SI unit since it’s a unit of speed derived from an SI unit for distance and a non-SI unit accepted for use with the SI for time.

                  Furthermore, searching the document for mentions of km/h, there’s this bit on page 127, section 2.1, “Defining the unit of a quantity”:

                  For a particular quantity different units may be used. For example, the value of the speed v of a particle may be expressed as v = 25 m/s or v = 90 km/h, where metre per second and kilometre per hour are alternative units for the same value of the quantity speed.

                  This paragraph suggests (even though it doesn’t outright say it) that km/h is indeed an SI unit.

                  I haven’t found anything clearly saying whether km/h is an SI unit or not. Not on that document, not by searching the web. The research above makes me lean towards the idea that it is one.

                  If you found otherwise, I’d love to compare notes and learn further.