INTRODUCTION:
Current rockets are using explosive, corrosive, toxic, and carcinogenic propellants. A rocket releases polluting chemicals into the atmosphere as many as 1 million cars driving at the same time. Sometimes these chemicals are much more dangerous than those generated by cars.
ARCA(Automobile racing club of America):
ARCA performed extensive tests to develop an electric rocket engine fueled by water. ARCA is working on an alternative to the most powerful and highly polluting rockets.
WATER AS A FUEL:
The rocket tank is filled with 98 percent water and a benign phase destabilizer. The water is electrically heated to hundreds of degrees. Water is injected into the engine, part of it flashes to steam. Another heating phase occurs in the engine powered by high discharge LIPO batteries. The same battery is used by ARCA to power the cutting edges, a 700kw ARCA board. At 42MW, the amount of electric energy released during engine run is more than what a small nuclear reactor generates. Solar power can recharge the rocket’s batteries.
ADVANTAGES:
• The root cause of high cost is the type of propellants and related complexity. Electric rockets use water as fuel so, cost-effective.
• Rocket fuels are polluting, volatile, toxic, cryogenic, and carcinogenic. They required extreme safety measures, complex fabrication, and operation. Water does not require any safety measures as a fuel.
LIMITATIONS:
Electric rockets using polluting fuels are not as efficient as early electric cars. But its ideals as launch booster or first stage. ARCA named it THE LAUNCH ASSIST SYSTEM(LAS).LAS is a stepping stone for a new generation of clean, safe, and affordable rockets.
TESTING STAGE:
ARCA is currently testing 25 tons of thurst expendable version, which will shortly be followed by a larger reusable vehicle already under construction. LAS can accelerate rockets at 3000M and MACH 2, reducing the polluting propellants by 25 percent.
ADVANCED DESIGN:
New, more advanced designs like ARCA’s 2CA single stage to orbit rocket will reduce its polluting propellants mass from 16 to 6 tons, using 18 tons of water instead.
REUSABLE ROCKET FAILURE:
The current reusable rocket did not deliver the expected cost cut and fast turnaround. Because after each flight, the vehicle needs to be checked extensively and refurbished. The components affected by high temperature and pressure have to be replaced.
EXPECTATIONS:
LAS will land, be refueled with water from the sea, and reused like a true shuttle. It will solve decades-long efforts to achieve significant cost reduction of space flight.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
To develop some other alternative source of propulsion outside of just burning fuel. To develop nuclear propulsion or some other method than just burning large amounts of gasoline or rocket fuel. The world is warming up and also running out of oil, it’s better to make electric rockets, or we will never launch a satellite to space again. Ironically everything will go electric except for rockets but the future rockets are indirectly electronic by using electricity to create the fuel.
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