In article ,
Jake McGuire wrote:
If the high pressure of N2O is a pain, is there any reason why people
couldn't use NBP N2O? It's not hugely cryogenic - minus 90C vs
minus 180C for LOX, and with a higher specific heat of vaporization it
should boil off much more slowly.

It hasn't often been done, but it is a reasonable notion. That will also
bring the density up noticeably.

Or is the general theory that if you're going to go to the hassle of
using moderately cryogenic nitrous that you may as well bite the
bullet and use LOX for the increased performance?

I suspect that's what most people end up thinking. I'd want a careful
analysis, in the context of a particular project, before deciding that it
was really true.
--
MOST launched 1015 EDT 30 June, separated 1046, | Henry Spencer
first ground-station pass 1651, all nominal! |