Regan Brown
The amount of fuel burned per second by a space shuttle is a fascinating topic. Space shuttles, unlike airplanes, cannot rely on drawing oxygen through their engines for combustion and must carry both fuel and an oxidizer. The amount of fuel burned per second will depend on various factors, including the type of shuttle, the stage of the mission, and the specific engines involved. Let's delve into the intricacies of fuel consumption in space shuttles and explore the fascinating world of space exploration.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total fuel burned by the space shuttle | 3,821,722 lb (1,735,601 kg) |
| Fuel burned by the two solid rocket boosters | 500,000 kg (1.1 million lb) each |
| Burn time of solid rocket boosters | 124 seconds |
| Specific impulse of solid rocket boosters | 269 seconds |
| Thrust provided by each solid rocket booster | 12.5 MN |
| Fuel capacity of the external tank | 629,340 kg (1,387,457 lb) of cryogenic liquid oxygen (LOX) |
| Fuel used by the main engines | 385,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen |
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What You'll Learn
- The Space Shuttle's main engine uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
- Solid Rocket Boosters provide 124 seconds of burn time
- The shuttle has three main parts, including an external fuel tank
- The Saturn V rocket used the equivalent of 763 elephants of fuel
- Pound for pound, spacecraft carry a heavier fuel load than airplanes
The Space Shuttle's main engine uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen
The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), also known as the RS-25, is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants. The RS-25 engine consists of pumps, valves, and other components working together to produce thrust. The liquid hydrogen acts as the fuel, while the liquid oxygen serves as the oxidizer. These propellants are stored in the Space Shuttle's external tank (ET), which is the largest and heaviest component of the Space Shuttle when loaded.
During lift-off and ascent, the external tank supplies the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen under pressure to the three RS-25 main engines in the orbiter. The liquid hydrogen feed line has a flow rate of 465 lb/s (12,700 kg/min) at 104% thrust or a maximum flow rate of 47,365 US gal/min (2.9883 m3/s). The engine produces a specific impulse (Isp) of 452 seconds (4.43 kN-sec/kg) in a vacuum and 366 seconds (3.59 kN-sec/kg) at sea level.
The RS-25 engine has undergone upgrades over the years to enhance its thrust, reliability, safety, and maintenance. The inner surface of each nozzle is cooled by liquid hydrogen flowing through brazed stainless steel tube wall coolant passages. This cooling system helps prevent mechanical damage to the vehicle that could be caused by the unusually large expansion ratio of the RS-25 nozzle, which is approximately 69:1.
The Space Shuttle also employs two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) and two Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) hypergolic liquid-propellant rocket engines. The external tank provides propellant for the three main engines, while the Solid Rocket Boosters use a solid propellant cake of Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant (APCP). The combination of these fuel sources enables the Space Shuttle to reach the necessary velocity and thrust to achieve spaceflight.
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Solid Rocket Boosters provide 124 seconds of burn time
The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) are an essential component of NASA's Space Transportation System (STS) vehicle, more commonly known as the Space Shuttle. These boosters play a critical role in providing the main thrust required to lift the shuttle off the launch pad and propel it to an altitude of approximately 150,000 feet (28 miles or 46 kilometres).
Each shuttle is equipped with two SRBs, and these boosters utilise a solid rocket motor ignition system. The rocket propellant mixture within each solid rocket motor is meticulously composed of several key components. Ammonium perchlorate, constituting 69.6% by weight, serves as the oxidiser. Atomized aluminium powder, making up 16%, acts as the fuel due to its high volumetric energy density and resistance to accidental ignition. Additionally, the mixture includes iron oxide as a catalyst (0.4%), PBAN as a binder and supplementary fuel (12.04%), and an epoxy curing agent (1.96%).
This carefully formulated propellant mixture, known as Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant (APCP), delivers exceptional performance. It provides the solid rocket motors with a specific impulse of 242 seconds (2.37 km/s) at sea level, and this figure increases to 268 seconds (2.63 km/s) in a vacuum. The motor burns the fuel at a nominal chamber pressure of 906.8 psi (6.252 MPa), contributing to the overall efficiency of the propulsion system.
The SRBs are not just powerful but also remarkably consistent in their performance. Each booster delivers a liftoff thrust of approximately 12 meganewtons (2,800,000 pounds-force) at sea level, and this thrust increases shortly after liftoff to 14.7 MN (3,300,000 lbf). This reliable and substantial thrust is crucial for successfully lifting the heavy load of the external tank and orbiter during the initial stages of the shuttle's ascent.
The SRBs are designed to burn for a specific duration, providing stability and control during the initial phase of the shuttle's journey into space. Each Solid Rocket Booster burns for approximately 124 seconds, contributing significantly to the overall success of the mission. This burn time is a carefully calculated aspect of the shuttle's launch profile, ensuring the efficient utilisation of fuel to propel the shuttle to its intended destination.
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The shuttle has three main parts, including an external fuel tank
The Space Shuttle consists of three major components: the Orbiter, which houses the crew; a large external tank that holds fuel for the main engines; and two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) which provide most of the Shuttle's lift during the first two minutes of flight.
The Orbiter is where the crew is stationed. The external tank (ET) is the largest and heaviest element of the Space Shuttle when loaded. It consists of three major components: the aft liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank, which is the largest part; and two smaller tanks for liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen fuel. The ET is jettisoned just over 10 seconds after the main engine cut-off and breaks up before impact with the Earth, in either the Indian or Pacific Ocean, away from shipping lanes. The ET is not reused.
The Solid Rocket Boosters provide an additional 6 million pounds of thrust, operating in parallel with the main engines for the first two minutes of flight. They are 149 feet long and use a combination of ammonium perchlorate, aluminium, iron oxide, PBAN or HTPB polymers, and an epoxy curing agent as fuel. After two minutes, the boosters separate from the Orbiter/external tank, descend on parachutes, and land in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Space Shuttle Discovery is an example of a shuttle that used the Orbiter, external tank, and SRBs.
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The Saturn V rocket used the equivalent of 763 elephants of fuel
The Saturn V rocket, developed by NASA, burned through an astonishing amount of fuel during its operation from 1967 to 1973. With a payload capacity of 310,000 pounds (140,000 kg) to low Earth orbit, it remains the largest capacity launch vehicle in history. This included unburned propellant required for the Apollo command and service module and Lunar Module to reach the Moon.
The Saturn V rocket burned an incredible 20 tons of fuel per second. To put this into perspective, this is equivalent to 763 elephants' worth of fuel. This massive fuel consumption was necessary to power the rocket's three stages and enable human exploration of the Moon. The rocket utilized liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants, with the second stage being primarily composed of propellant.
The Saturn V rocket's S-II stage, built by North American Aviation, had a dry mass of about 95,000 pounds (43,000 kg). When fully fueled, it weighed a staggering 1,037,000 pounds (470,000 kg). This stage provided 1,000,000 pounds-force (4,400 kN) of thrust in a vacuum and had a burn time of 395 seconds. The S-II stage played a crucial role in accelerating the Saturn V rocket through the upper atmosphere.
In comparison, NASA's Space Shuttle utilized solid rocket boosters and liquid propellants. Each solid rocket booster consumed about 500,000 kg of Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant, providing 124 seconds of burn time. The external tank held 629,340 kg of liquid oxygen, and the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) could operate at over 100% of their nominal performance.
The Saturn V rocket's fuel consumption was truly remarkable, with its 20 tons of fuel burned per second being equivalent to the weight of 763 elephants. This massive fuel usage was essential for achieving the rocket's historic achievements in space exploration, including crewed flights to the Moon and the launch of Skylab, America's first space station.
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Pound for pound, spacecraft carry a heavier fuel load than airplanes
Pound for pound, spacecraft carry a much heavier fuel load than airplanes. This is because airplanes burn fuel by drawing oxygen through their engines, whereas spacecraft must carry both the fuel and an oxidizer, which are kept separate until they are brought together in the engine. The Saturn V rocket, for example, used kerosene for the first stage and liquid hydrogen for the second stage, with liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. The space shuttle’s main engine uses 385,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen. The two solid rocket boosters used by NASA's Space Transportation System (STS) vehicle, also known as the Space Shuttle, burned 500,000 kg of fuel each, providing 124 seconds of burn time.
The difference in fuel load between spacecraft and airplanes is due in part to the fact that airplanes get a "free lift" from the air rushing over their specially shaped wings, whereas spacecraft must provide their own propulsion. This is achieved by sacrificing a good portion of the vehicle's total mass, which is expelled as hot, spent fuel that produces high-pressure exhaust, enabling the spacecraft to ascend.
The amount of fuel required for a spacecraft depends on several factors, including the mass of the vehicle, the efficiency of the engines, and external forces such as atmospheric pressure and gravity. The rocket equation, developed by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in 1903, can be used to calculate the amount of fuel needed for a journey through space. However, the equation becomes more complicated when considering the multiple stages of a rocket, as each stage must carry enough fuel to propel itself and the subsequent stages.
The weight of the fuel itself also adds to the overall mass of the spacecraft, which further increases the amount of fuel required. This is why spacecraft are designed to shed weight as they consume fuel, such as by dropping empty fuel tanks, to maximize the capacity of the remaining fuel to accelerate the craft. This staged approach to space travel was first successfully employed by Nazi Germany's V-2 rocket, which was capable of reaching speeds of 3,500 miles per hour and travelling hundreds of miles before falling back to Earth.
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