[AR] Re: engine life (was Re: Nozzles for Amateur Solids)
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2018 22:25:55 -0500 (EST)
On Fri, 9 Mar 2018, JOHN HALPENNY wrote:
...How many rockets are flying right now? The engine manufacturers have
been refining basically the same engines for over 50 years, and they are
exquisitely tuned for there task.
Within the constraints set by their original designs -- which were often
the first thing that worked when people were in a hurry sixty years ago --
and very limited funding for upgrades and improvements.
For example, when the very last Delta II flies in (tentatively) September,
its RS-27A main engine will still follow the ancient design that put the
turbopump assembly above the gimbal, requiring flexible high-pressure
plumbing crossing the gimbal. We've known for half a century that putting
the turbopump on the engine itself is a better approach, lighter and
easier to build, but even when the stock of Saturn-surplus engines ran out
and the RS-27 was re-engineered into the RS-27A for new production, there
was never money to fix this.
Henry
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