Journey to Mars: Hybrid Rocketry, Plasma, Interstellar Orbits, and the Red Planet By Dr. John Brandenburg, Folasade Akeloko, Christian Garcia, Jacquelyn Cortes, Kujtime Muzhaku, Taquazha Fair, & Louis Shackelford

Agenda Hybrid Rockets Everclear 1 Project Plasma Astrophysics Mars

Main Rocket Types Solid Fuel Liquid Fuel (turbo pump fed) Liquid Fuel (pressure fed) oxidizer fuel pressurant Turbo pump Thrust chamber

Solid Fuel Rockets Solid Fuel Solid fuel rockets are oldest (China in ~200 AD) Simple and reliable Inexpensive, easy to Launch Part of Space Shuttle Booster Cannot be Throttled (stopped and initiated again) Inefficient fuel burners

Liquid Fuel (turbo pump) Liquid Fuel (turbo pump fed) oxidizer fuel Thrust chamber Most commonly used space launch vehicle Highest propulsion power Can be throttled Require complex systems (stop-valves, injectors, pumping machinery) Overall cost and weight are excessive Storage/unreliability issues turbo pump

Hybrid Rockets Hybrid rockets are a combination of solid and liquid fuel rockets Gaseous/liquid oxidizer is stored in a tank separate from a solid fuel grain (simple design) High Propulsion Power (rivals the power of liquid fuel rockets) Burns more efficiently than solid fuel rockets Can be refueled Low relative cost and weight compared to Liquid Rockets Easily throttled Environmentally safe Storable and reliable

Everclear 1 Project

Improving the performance of Everclear 1 The solid fuel used in the hybrid rocket is an alcohol gel that is extremely viscous. In order to improve the performance of the hybrid rocket, the alcohol gel must contain both a concentrated alcohol and a thickener. The thickener will be methyl cellulose. The concentrated alcohol will be obtained from a substance called Everclear, which contains 95% alcohol. When a concentrated alcohol substance is combined with an aqueous methyl cellulose solution, a thick alcohol gel will be formed. The viscosity of the gel determines its regression rate and the life of the rocket.

What is Methyl Cellulose? Methyl cellulose is a white powder that is non-toxic, odorless, and digestible. Its often used as a thickener and emulsifier for popular products such as laxatives, ice cream and in salad dressings. When mixed with cold water, methyl cellulose has a high retention rate for water and can absorb several times more water than its own weight. An aqueous solution (colorless gel) of methyl cellulose is hardly affected by acids and is not an ionic substance. Methyl cellulose can be mixed with almost any substance and not alter its chemical composition while thickening its texture.

What is Sterno? Sterno is an alcohol gel that is extremely viscous. It is often used by chefs for heating foods and is preferred because the gas produced from the burning alcohol is nonpoisonous. Sterno is made by combining an alcohol with a thickener. Several forms of sterno can be created using different types of alcohols and thickeners.

The Future of Hybrid Rockets: Everclear 1 Combining alcohol gels and liquid fuels in hybrid rockets extends rocket life. A rocket could be stopped in mid-air. The speed of a hybrid rocket can be controlled by changing the rate at which the liquid fuel is released into the rocket.

Hybrid Rocket Engine Oxidizer Fuel Gain Valve Injector Valve Nozzle IgnitionHole Ignition Hole Everclear 1 Exhaust

Hybrid Rocket Engine Test

Hybrid Engine Test cont.

Everclear Rocket Design v1

Layout 1.) Small No2 Capsules 2.) Rubber Washer 3.) Ball Needle 4.) Thermal Valve a.) Plastic Sealant b.) Steel wire with match head 5.) Fuel tube

Everclear Rocket Design v1 Pros Small and light Availability of materials Cheap Cons hard to handle Non modular A lot of mechnical work Why it failed Tough seal Weak needle Gas leaks Match does not ignite

Everclear Rocket Design v2

Layout 1.) CO2 Tank 2.) Valve 3.) Tube 4.) Thermal Valve a.) Plastic Sealant b.) steel wire with match head 5.) Fuel tube

Everclear Rocket Design v2 Pros Modular No puncturing controllable Cons Heavy Pressure limit (temporary) Why it failed Thermal valve

Plasma 4 th state of matter Energy causes electrons to separate from the atom Electrons can move freely Ionized/charged gas 99% of universe

Ball Lightning A natural sphere that floats and glows for only seconds Unknown as to how it forms Theory: form of plasma A ball lightning effect can be made at home in a microwave oven

Vacuum Chamber Decreases air pressure to increase plasma Nitrogen gives plasma its purple color when excited. Electricity is the energy that helps create plasma. It increases the current of electrons to such an extent that they knock off another electron in an atom. This “knocking off of an electron” is when we actually see the plasma.

Uses/Purpose of Plasma Dr. John Brandenburg is working on creating plasma for the Air Force. Plasma can be used as a “force field” for satellites as protection from radiation. People who are not happy about satellites watching and orbiting the earth send these beams of radiation. A satellite would have to in turn be shut off to avoid damage.

Astrophysics Branch of astronomy in which physics is applied to observe properties of the universe: star life and formation movement and chemical composition of celestial objects history of the universe…

Life of a Star Nebula spins and condenses to form a star Fusion powers the star by converting its abundance of hydrogen into helium… When fuel is all burned the star grows through a process of death with a dim or explosive end

Process of Death Blue dwarfs burn fuel extremely fast and have a violent end to their life Red giants burn their fuel slowly and have a long lifespan Main sequence stars eventually swell up to form supergiants and eventually dim to white dwarf level Rare occurrence the stars create blackholes or neutron stars

Conclusion Hybrid Rockets are the future of the rocket industry as result of their performance, efficiency, low cost, and ease of storage The Everclear 1 was never launched Plasma engines and shields are the next level of space technology Astrophysics is the key to human exploration throughout the galaxy Mars colonization is the first step in the development of human existence on distance worlds

Special Thanks The Harlem Children Society Dr. Sat Bhattacharya Dr. Leslie Lieberman Dr. John Brandenburg SpaceHab, Inc. Florida Space Institute University of Central Florida The National Aeronautics and Space Administration