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Armadillo Aerospace
Does anyone have any idea of the future plans of Armadillo Aerospace
beyond their X-Prize Contender ? Their choice of Hydrogen Peroxide seems to have paid dividends in the rapid development of their sub-orbital vehicle, I can see them achieving the 100KM flight within the next 12 months, then extending the altitude and speed envelope somewhat and hopefully making some money. However, after reading on their website that the Isp for their engines is around 160 seconds it seems to me that even a two stage reusable vehicle using this technology is going to struggle to reach orbit due to the mass ratios required. Also, they seem to have experimented with rocket powered rotor craft initially but noting in the last couple of years, have they given up on these ? Alan Bloomfield |
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Armadillo Aerospace
Alan Bloomfield wrote:
Their choice of Hydrogen Peroxide seems to have paid dividends in the rapid development of their sub-orbital vehicle, I can see them achieving the 100KM flight within the next 12 months, then extending the altitude and speed envelope somewhat and hopefully making some money. I agree. Hydrogen peroxide is good choice for the suborbital manned flight because it is safe. On the other hand, commercial grade of the peroxide is contaminated with hydrocarbons, which make it unstable; it spontaneously breaks down into water and oxygen. A mixture of the contaminated hydrogen peroxide and a stabilizing compound does not break down, but the stabilizing compound contaminates the catalyst beds. I do not know how they deal with these problems, but I believe that rocket grade peroxide must be free of the contaminants. However, after reading on their website that the Isp for their engines is around 160 seconds it seems to me that even a two stage reusable vehicle using this technology is going to struggle to reach orbit due to the mass ratios required. I agree again. Specific impulse of pure peroxide at sea level is 163 seconds. Also, they seem to have experimented with rocket powered rotor craft initially but noting in the last couple of years, have they given up on these ? Rocket powered rotor is a bad idea because you can get the same thrust from the rocket. A helicopter powered by a hydrogen peroxide turbine is a great idea because it improves the specific impulse by one order of magnitude. You can place the platinum catalyst packs in the tips of the blades, so the liquid propellant is compressed by the centrifugal force like the roton propellant. This kind of helicopter could fly slowly up to the altitude of 30 km. Higher altitudes would require very lightweight, gossamer propellers -- not very practical design. A large helicopter would be cheaper than a craft using air breathing engines and it would be more reusable than a stratospheric balloon. |
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Armadillo Aerospace
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