[AR] Re: 12" L*
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2021 14:06:33 -0500 (EST)
On Wed, 27 Jan 2021, Wyatt Rehder wrote:
Something to consider on the LR-101 was its intended application. Which
was as a vernier control thruster for the Altas. So they had other
driving design constraints than just performance. I'd hazard a guess
that they were happy to take a hit on performance if it made the
packaging smaller...
Bear in mind that the Atlas verniers were mounted externally -- not flush
with the surface like a lot of RCS thrusters -- and ran continuously from
main-engine start to final cutoff. (They were controlled with gimbaling,
not on-off pulsing.) Which is to say, I don't think they had any major
packaging constraints, and they did care somewhat about performance.
The Buran RCS thrusters are also noteworthy small LOX/kerosene engines,
although I'm not sure how much technical information on them is available.
Henry
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