Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site teddy.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!panda!teddy!rdp
From: rdp@teddy.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Fuels for rocket propulsion
Message-ID: <1285@teddy.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Sep-85 08:59:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: teddy.1285
Posted: Tue Sep 10 08:59:03 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 08:28:00 EDT
References: <384@decwrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: rdp@teddy.UUCP (Richard D. Pierce)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 13
Summary: 

In article <384@decwrl.UUCP> augeri@gwen.DEC (Mike Augeri) writes:
>
>Many fuel formulas have been tried over the years, but the best and safest
>performance to date is with a fuel first proposed by Konstantin
>Tsiolkovsky way back in 1903 -- namely, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.
>This fuel combination produces a specific impulse of 400-450.  The next
>best is hydrogen and fluorine at 480, but fluorine is a very difficult
>substance to handle.
>
To say nothing of the fact that the resultant combustion product is good
old hydroflouric acid, which is really grim stuff! There have been some
reports of irritation resulting from the shuttle solid-fuel exhaust. This
would  preety much preclude in-atmosphere use of flourine.