/sci/ - Science & Math

>>9260876
You hare two main types of engines. Open cycle which is the Vulcan and close cycle.
In short the open one is simple to design and build.
The pic here is what SpaceX is trying to achieve with the Raptor.If you follow the fuel line you can see that ~99% of the fuel is preburned with ~1% oxidizer for the fuel turbopump and the rest of ~1% fuel is preburned for the LOX turbopump.
Lets hope they can actually pull it off.

>>8721195
>a hydrogen-fuelled upper stage.

The US Air Force gave him $33.6 million last year to try and build a liquid methane upper stage for F9 and FH. Maybe we can get the best of both worlds. Hydrogen sucks donkey balls unless your using hydrogen slush, and even then it still sucks slightly more palatable balls. This new methane stage would use engine heat to pressurize both tanks doing away with those pesky helium bottles that keep exploding. It's a sexy sexy full flow cycle.

Also thank you uncle Elon for blowing up Zuckerkies internet for niggers satellite.