> On Thu, 20 Feb 2003, Sander Pool wrote: > > I remember seeing this on TV or reading about it many years ago. The > > application was hydrogen storage for cars, not rockets. They demonstrated > > the safety by shooting holes in the tank with a high powered rifle. > > The hydrides used for hydrogen storage for that (and in NiMH batteries) > are not what you'd want for one-shot use as shipping containers :-) for > hydrogen in space. They are optimized for being able to absorb and > release hydrogen many, many times. They are relatively heavy. Something > like LiBH4 (yes, it exists) is not reusable but is much lighter. > > > Perhaps if metal hydride is too expensive we could use hydrogentated fats > > instead? Would be a great way to get rid of the junk :-) > > The problem with hydrocarbons, more or less what those are, is that it's > hard to break them down completely and easily. Well-chosen metal hydrides > are willing to fall apart pretty much on command. > > > BTW, I perhaps missed the part of the discussion where it was explained why > > we only need H2? Surely for a chemical rocket you need both O2 and H2. > > More advanced rockets -- nuclear, electrothermal, etc. -- often run best > on straight H2. That's where that aspect of the discussion came from, if > memory serves.
Man, I get all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about a Hydrogen Plasma engine... You'd be able to roast some SERIOUS marshmallows in the exhaust stream! > > Henry Spencer > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _______________________________________________ > ERPS-list mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
