148
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
148 points (97.4% liked)
SpaceflightMemes
2312 readers
1 users here now
A Lemmy analogue to r/SpaceXMasterRace.
Related communities for serious posts and discussion:
- !rocketlab@lemmy.nz
- !spaceflight@sh.itjust.works
- !spacex@sh.itjust.works
- !nasa@lemmy.world
- !noncredibledefense@sh.itjust.works
FAQ:
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Damn, didn't realize rockets ran on methane. Just like my stove.
Yes a lot of modern engines run on methane. It doesn't have to be as cold as H2 and its much more volume-dense.
Combustion is much less complicated than with kerosene and other big hydrocarbons.
Saturn V first stage ran RP-1, a kerosene fuel like Jet-A or JP8.
Yep, they went to the moon on fuel that could also run a truck (if you don't particularly care about still running it next week)
Wouldn't RP-1 burn cleaner than run-of-the-mill diesel?
Sure, the burning part isn't the problem.
Diesel has small amounts of lubricants, and those are very much needed for all the tiny little moving parts in fuel injectors and probably even in the engine itself. RP-1 doesn't have those.
Also, I know jet fuel will absolutely destroy just about every rubber not specifically designed for it, and that may apply to RP-1 as well.