The discussion about LITVC reminded me of some of the studies that have
been performed on making an ascent vehicle for Mars sample return.
http://kiss.caltech.edu/lectures/Karp_Lecture_PPT.pdf
Interpreting slides sucks, but it is possible to watch the presentation
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGvjAsqxFGU
related paper:
https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/45792/16-0028_A1b.pdf?sequence=1
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I was a bit surprised that they throught a hybrid would be the best choice,
but that must have been strongly driven by the desirement to be storable at
low temperatures. I am surprised they found it to be the lightest option as
well.
A paraffin wax hybrid no less.
The JPL team seems to agree that LITVC must be a lost art, because they
consider its development to be a tech risk.
Thanks,
Lars Osborne
