Questions tagged [fuel-depots]
Questions about propellant depots placed in space or celestial bodies to allow propellant refueling of space vehicles or artificial satellites, to extend their range, payload capacity, or orbit sustainability.
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Is atmospheric skimming for propellant feasible?
A recent comment in a discussion of satellite refueling mentioned the
possiblity of a spacecraft dipping into the atmosphere from LEO to
obtain oxygen. Similarly, the science fiction RPG Traveller ...
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Are there any plans to establish depots in space?
Fuel weight is a major limitation on the range of manned spacecraft.
It might make sense to pre-position fuel tanks (establish depot/depots) in orbit with different planets and moons to serve as ...
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Liquid settling in tanks during orbital refueling
I am interested in orbital refueling, not for satellites (though that’s a good idea) but for manned exploration and infrastructure. For instance, to support a lunar base we would want regular flights ...
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Has combustion chamber water injection been used in RP1 rocket engine design?
Goddard’s rocket, the V2 rocket and Redstone all used water in their Alcohol fuel for combustion temperature control. To the best of my knowledge, water has not been used in RP1 fueled rockets for ...
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Why would orbital fuel depots make sense?
Under what conditions would fuel depots in earth orbit make sense?
As it costs $X/kg to launch something into space, wouldn't it cost the same to launch fuel by itself as it would to launch it as ...
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Does any group have a serious proposal to build & maintain a station at L1?
To me, it's a no-brainer that the Earth-Moon L1 location is a strategic locale, sort of a forks of the Ohio in local space. I've seen some proposals to put some long-term station there, but has anyone ...
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Can surrounding methalox by hydrolox save it from boil off
In case of a (single) Starship (as a) fuel depot orbiting the Earth, how can we prevent boil off, may be so? Some fuels have lower temperatures such as hydrolox is colder than methalox. Could we may ...
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