Solar/LH2
Propellant
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Solar/LH2 propellant. By use of concentrating mirrors, solar power can be used to heat a propellant (usually hydrogen) to produce thrust in space. Liquid hydrogen was identified by all the leading rocket visionaries as the theoretically ideal rocket fuel. It had big drawbacks, however - it was highly cryogenic, and it had a very low density, making for large tanks.
Fuel Density: 0.071 g/cc. Fuel Freezing Point: -259 deg C. Fuel Boiling Point: -253 deg C.
Subtopics
RS-77 Rocketdyne solar/LH2 rocket engine. Solar Thermal Engine. Pressure-fed. SOTV Solar Orbit Transfer Vehicle.
Related
- Engines
- RS-77