Questions tagged [centaur]

Questions about the Centaur rocket stage, a high-efficiency hydrolox upper stage used (or planned to have been used) with a wide variety of rockets, and first flown in 1962.

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Why are Moon Rockets (Saturn V, N1) so much bigger than the Titan IIIE?

In what little knowledge of space and rockets I have, it seems to me that the further the object your aiming for, the more fuel you’ll need, and the bigger engines you’ll need. Having compared the ...
Blue Skin and Glowing Red Eyes's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
66 views

Why aren't Dual Engine Centaurs used anymore?

The last DEC flew in 2004 (excluding Starliner) on an Atlas II. Why aren't they used today for commercial payloads (again, barring Starliner)? I understand that DEC is more expensive than SEC as it ...
WarpPrime's user avatar
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8 votes
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Is thermal soakback from the engine a problem for rocket stages? Especially ones that complete several burns over several hours (e.g. S-IVB, Centaur)?

Thermal soakback is a phenomenon whereby a hot, operating engine transfers heat into the spacecraft, usually conduction through the engine mounts. I've only ever seen this problem discussed with RCS ...
dasvitek's user avatar
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7 votes
0 answers
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How long do we have contact with a centaur after launch

When centaur separates the payload, we can see a video signal of this happening. The mission of centaur is completed now, but are there still some activities centaur is performing after seperation? ...
RAD6000's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
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Why did Agena lose out to Centaur?

Agena and Centaur are both rocket upper stage families that were designed in the late 1950s. Agena was used as a rendezvous target during Gemini, and was last used in 1987. In contrast, Centaurs ...
DrSheldon's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
197 views

How is fuel distributed in multi engine rocket stages?

How is fuel distributed evenly to multi-engine rockets like the Falcon 9, Electron, or multi-engined Centaurs? I would presume that there is only one main propellant line that goes down the raceway ...
YuccaWorks's user avatar
20 votes
2 answers
2k views

After the loss of Challenger, why weren’t Galileo and Ulysses launched by Centaurs on expendable boosters?

The Centaur upper stage, the first hydrolox rocket stage ever flown and (in its highly-evolved forms) still one of the most-used, as well as one of the highest-performance (if not the highest-...
Vikki's user avatar
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14 votes
1 answer
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On large diameter Atlas V fairings, why is the Centaur inside the fairing?

When including an image in an answer to this question: Was New Horizons launched on a copper rocket? I noticed that for the larger diameter fairings (Atlas 501 and up) the Centaur upper stage is ...
Organic Marble's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
296 views

What is the Oxidiser/Fuel Ratio of the Atlas V Centaur Upper Stage?

I can't find this information anywhere for the single or double engine variant. could it be variable? Or is it a secret?
sleepingNewton's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
321 views

InSight Launch - Centaur Fuel Rich

During the launch of InSight today one thing sprung out to me: at T+408s the voiceover announces: Centaur slightly fuel rich. And again at ...
Hans's user avatar
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