COMBUSTIÓ I PROPULSIÓ DE COETS

4.- BRIEF HISTORY OF

ROCKET PROPELLANTS

Manel Quera
Laboratori de Motors Tèrmics i Automòbils
Departament de Màquines i Motors Tèrmics
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BRIEF HISTORY OF ROCKET PROPELLANTS

1.- Introduction
2.- Overview of rocket propellants history
1.- Robert Goddard
2.- V2 Rocket
3.- Project Mercury
4.- Project Gemini
5.- Project Apollo  Saturn V
6.- Space Shuttle
7.- ESA Program  Ariane
8.- ESA Program  Soyuz
9.- ESA Program  Vega
10.- Mars Missions
3.- Conclussions
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1.- INTRODUCTION

Basic propulsion systems of liquid propellant rockets

( Ref: Sutton )
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Propellant feed system

Boost propulsion (Main propulsion)

Turbopump feed system

 Bypropellants (usually not hypergolics)  High thrust
(Ex: LOX-RP1, LOX-LH2)

Auxiliary propulsion

 Gas pressure feed system (usually He)

1) Bypropellants (usually hypergolics)  Medium thrust
(Ex: NTO-UDMH, NTO-Aerozine 50)
2) Monopropellants  Low thrust
(Ex: Hidrazine)
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High pressure gas

GHe supply tank
(Usually He)

Pressure regulator

Auxiliary propulsion

 Gas pressure feed system (He, N2)

Liquid monopropellant
 Monopropellants
(Hidrazine N2H4)
(Ex: Hidrazine)

Propellant valve
(remote control)
Catalyzer
Expansion nozzle
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2.- OVERVIEW OF ROCKET PROPELLANTS HISTORY

OVERVIEW OF ROCKET PROPELLANTS HISTORY (Part 1)

Propellants
Nº Rocket reference Year Remarks
Main propulsion Auxiliary propulsion

1 ROBERT GODDARD 1926 LOX - Gasoline World first liquid fuel rocket

First long range guided ballistic missile (II World War)

2 V2 ROCKET 1944-1945 LOX - Ethanol Rocket technology leader: Wernher von Braun
(Germany) Reference of current rockets

PROJECT MERCURY
3 1958-1963 LOX -RP1 Goal: Put a man into earth orbit and return safely
(Atlas LV-3B rocket)

First stage
NTO - Aerozine 50
PROJECT GEMINI Goal: Preparing a future trip to he moon and back
4 1964-1966
(Titan II rocket) Second stage (spacewalks, orbital maneuvres of rendezvous)

NTO - Aerozine 50

First stage Service Module Goal: Land the first humans on the Moon and
LOX - RP1 Command Module return safely to the Earth

Second stage Lunar Module Apollo 11: First human landing on the Moon
PROJECT APOLLO
5 1967-1972
(Saturn V rocket) LOX - LH2 NTO - Aerozine 50 July 20, 1969: Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins

Third stage NTO - MMH Project Apollo flights (Apollo 1 to Apollo 17):
LOX - LH2 6 flights landing on the Moon
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OVERVIEW OF ROCKET PROPELLANTS HISTORY (Part 2)

Propellants
Nº Rocket reference Year Remarks
Main propulsion Auxiliary propulsion

SPACE SHUTTLE Solid Rocket Booster Goal: First partially reusable low earth
1.- Columbia (1981) ( 2 engines) orbital spacecraft

2.- Challenger (1983) AP - AL - PBAN NTO - MMH July 20, 1969: Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins
6 1981-2011
3.- Discovery (1984) Main engines Project Apollo flights (Apollo 1 to Apollo 17):
4.- Atlantis (1985) ( 3 engines) 6 flights landing on the Moon

5.- Endeavour (1992) LOX - LH2

ESA PROGRAM Ariane 5 Ariane evolution

Solid Rocket Booster Ariane 1: 1979-1986

( 2 engines) Ariane 2: 1986-1989
AP - AL - HTPB Ariane 3: 1984-1989

1.- ARIANE ROCKET Core stage (Vulcain) GH2 Ariane 4: 1988-2003

7 1979-
( 1 engine) GO2 Ariane 5: 1996-2020
(High weight payloads)
LOX - LH2 Ariane 6: 2020 expected

Second stage Launch pad for ESA Program:

( 1 engine) - Guiana Space Center (Kourou / French Guiana)
LOX - LH2
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OVERVIEW OF ROCKET PROPELLANTS HISTORY (Part 3)

Propellants
Nº Rocket reference Year Remarks
Main propulsion Auxiliary propulsion

ESA PROGRAM First stage Upper stage (Fregat) Soyuz = Most representative rocket of russian
( 4 engines) ( 1 engine) technology

LOX - RP1 NTO - UDMH More than 1800 missions

2.- SOYUZ ROCKET Second stage Auxiliary propulsion Launch pads for ESA Program:
8 2011- ( 4 engines) Hidrazine (N2H4) - Baikonur (Russia)
(Medium weight payloads)
LOX - RP1 - Guiana Space Center (Kourou / French Guiana)

Third stage
( 1 engine)

LOX - RP1

ESA PROGRAM First stage Upper stage (Fregat) Developed by Italian Space Agency (ISA) and the
( 1 engine) ( 1 engine) ESA, based on solid propulsion of Ariane 4 and

AP - AL - HTPB NTO - UDMH Ariane 5.

3.-VEGA ROCKET Second stage Auxiliary propulsion Launch pad for ESA Program:
9 2012- ( 1 engine) Hidrazine (N2H4) - Guiana Space Center (Kourou / French Guiana)
(Low weight payloads)
AP - AL - HTPB

Third stage
( 1 engine)

AP - AL - HTPB
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OVERVIEW OF ROCKET PROPELLANTS HISTORY (Part 4)

Propellants
Nº Rocket reference Year Remarks
Main propulsion Auxiliary propulsion

MARS MISSIONS 1960- Atlas V 541 Rocket Mission types: Flyby, orbiter, lander, rover

Different types of Booster

rock et used ( 4 engines) Spacecraft sent successufuly:
Launch AP - AL - HTPB USA - Russia - European Union - India
Atlas V 541 Rocket
(Curiosity Mission / Rover) Nov 26, 2011 First stage Hidrazine (N2H4)
10
(USA) Mars landing ( 1 engine) (Navigation and landing)
August 6, 2012 LOX - RP1

(still operational) Second stage

( 1 engine)
LOX - LH2
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1.- ROBERT GODDARD (1926)

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2.- V2 ROCKET (1944-1945)

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3.- PROJECT MERCURY (1958-1963)

Atlas LV-3B launching ( Ref: NASA )

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4.- PROJECT GEMINI (1964-1966)

Gemini capsule cutaway ( Ref: NASA )

Titan II rocket launching Gemini 11

(12 September 1966) Gemini spacewalk ( Ref: NASA )

( Ref: NASA )
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5.- PROJECT APOLLO (1967-1972)

Rocket: Saturn V
• Height: 110 m (35 story building)
• Diameter: 10 m
• Mass: 2.970.000 kg
• Capsule crew: 3 astronauts
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Escape tower test

( Ref: NASA )

Apollo 11 Launch ( Ref: NASA )

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( Ref: NASA )
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6.- SPACE SHUTTLE (1981-2011)

Challenger Discovery launching

( Ref: NASA ) ( Ref: NASA )
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Shuttle launch profiles

( Ref: NASA )
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7.- ESA PROGRAM  ARIANE ( High weight payloads )

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( Ref: ESA )
Ariane 5 launching ( Ref: ESA )
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8.- ESA PROGRAM  SOYUZ ( Medium weight payloads )

Soyuz 2 launching ( Ref: ESA )

Soyuz 2 diagram ( Ref: ESA )
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9.- ESA PROGRAM  VEGA ( Low weight payloads )

Vega C diagram ( Ref: ESA )

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( Ref: ESA )
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10.- MARS MISSIONS (1960- )

More missions have been attempted to Mars than to any other place in the Solar System, except
the Moon, and about half of the attempts have failed. This fact proves that space exploration is
not easy.
Mission types: Flyby, Orbiter, Lander, Rover
Countries that have sent successfully spacecraft to Mars (1964-2019): USA, Russia (Soviet
Union), European Union and India.
Basic conditions of Mars missions
 Orbital conjunction (Earth-Mars)  Synodic period: 2,135 years = 780 days aprox (window
launch)
 Travel time from Earth to Mars: 7 to 9 months
 Distance Earth to Mars: 54,6 million km (minimum), 401 million km (maximum)
Basic physical characteristics of Mars
 Diameter: 6779 km (half the Earth diameter aprox)
 Atmosphere composition (% vol): 96,0 % CO2, 1,9 % Ar, 1,9 % N2, 0,2 % O2
 Atmosphere pressure: 0,0063 atm
 Surface gravity: 3,72 m/s2
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Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) trajectory from Earth to Mars

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CURIOSITY MISSION (ROVER)

 Rocket: Atlas V 541
 Launch: November 26, 2011
 Mars Landing: August 6, 2012
 Rover last contact: Operational

Curiosity Rover ( Ref: NASA )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BudlaGh1A0o

Atlas V 541 launching ( Ref: NASA )

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Sojourner (1975) –Spirit (2003) – Curiosity (2011) Rovers ( Ref: NASA )