RE: starship-design: How to build a station.

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

> From: pk [mailto:thida@videotron.ca]
> L. Parker wrote:
> > Ahh, he does mean monopropellant, of which Hydrazine is NOT
> an example. All
> > monopropellants are solids and almost have to be by definition, and
> > therefore are not suitable for scramjets, ramjets, etc. If,
> on the other
> > hand, you are referring to hypergolic propellants (say
> explosives), I would
> > advise against them. They are volatile and tricky to
> handle. The Federal
> > government doesn't even allow transport of the components
> within fifty miles
> > of each other.
> Alright... i didn't say that it was to be used in a XYZjet as a
> propellant; i said that a french missile is using solid rocket fuel to
> accelerate itself until it's fast enough to run in scramjet mode...
> Basically, it fills the scramjet with solid fuel, and when the fuel is
> all used up, claps open to let air get through, and scramjet mode
> starts...
> i don't know the name of the missile, but it must be from Matra, since
> every French missile come from them(or almost)...

Never heard of it, but it sounds like a neat trick. I suppose that would
solve the problem of getting a scramjet up to speed. Most current missiles
(as opposed to rockets) use monopropellants. Typically a metal based polymer
of some sort. Aluminum works real well.

Lee