It might sound too good to be true, but Water-fueled rockets are a real possibility. In fact, NASA has been working on hydrogen gas engine designs for decades, but no one has yet produced a practical engine. In the urgent race to find an alternative to fossil fuels, aviation companies are looking for H2Engines based on them while waiting for NASA to find viable water sources in space.
H2Motorized rockets: how do they work?
Hydrogen gas is the driving force of H2– Rockets equipped with a fuel engine work by using an electrochemical reaction to propel the engine with gas. The electrochemical reaction is specific Electrolysiswhich involves splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gases through electric current. This gas can be stored and then released to provide thrust when needed.
Although the idea of ​​launching rockets into space on water may seem like a new-age concept, NASA has actually been working on hydrogen engines since the agency was still in its early days. When you consider that hydrogen and oxygen have been used to propel rockets since the 60s, it’s not too far-fetched that water will become the fuel of the future.
For its own sake, it creates hydrogen Maximum exhaust speed from any of the rocket fuel options. Oxygen is then added for combustion. All that is required to separate water into its two constituent elements is an applied electric charge. Sounds plausible enough, right?
Early technology performance of water powered engines
Performance of an early prototype engine in 1969 identified key positives in performance, longevity, storage and power requirements. A NASA research paper on this experiment states:
Theoretically, the water electrolysis rocket has many advantages over conventional control systems.
However, a disadvantage at the time was the complexity of the technology. Another prototype study conducted in 1997 noted that the size and weight of a water electrolysis engine and the limited power output caused NASA to put the project on the backburner until recently.
Today, the concept of H2Powered rockets are essential to the agency’s deep-space exploration programs because it is the program’s goal Use water It is found in asteroids or in other celestial systems rocket fuel.
Shortcomings in H2Rocket engines
As with any innovative technology, there are several Complexities to overcome In designing and implementing an efficient water propulsion system:
- Corrosion and contamination: Structural materials must be protected from corrosion and electrolysis components cannot be contaminated by other materials.
- Weight: H weight2-High power engines must be reduced to make it possible to launch them.
- Time and money: Huge investments are required in both.
- Research and development: The scale of the projects is huge.
Action in Aeronautics: Is There a Future for Water-Powered Space Travel?
Due to the reduction of production costs, Access to space launch has been opened up to more playersLike SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and Boeing. According to Global Data, a London-based data and analytics firm, more than 660 companies, including various technology vendors, aerospace and defense companies and startups, are working on developing water-fueled rockets.
For NASA, in particular, a fundamental goal is to investigate the feasibility of locating, recovering, and properly purifying water in space. If refueling is not possible, water is not viable as a fuel. Elwood Agassid of the Ames Research Center, which is currently pursuing the technology with one aerospace company, warns:
But assuming you can, this technology will allow you to explore deep space and never worry about running out of propellant.
NASA is on a mission to make sure there is Renewable fuel source in spacebecause to exploit the power of water in the future of green space exploration, we must first know that it is available.
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