🧵 Untitled Thread

Anonymous !niqjediPCA at Sat, 27 Jul 2024 05:30:20 UTC No. 16298503

Hey, /sci/. recently I've been thinking about the logistics of lunar refineries and manufacturing for the production of large scale parts for lunar orbit construction (Think making a Stanford torus with lunar material for the purpose of saving launch costs of heavy structural members)

I've come to three conclusions for low cost lifting from the moon....

1. Mass driver/railgun/gauss-gun/etc powered by solar thermal power.

Can be great for shit that can be compacted into the launch barrel, not what im discussing.

2. Aluminium-Oxide solid rockets.

Considering this can be created from lunar regolith, solar thermal power, and maybe some re-usable chemicals, seems to be the best possible launch mechanism for huge/strangely-shaped parts.

3. Aluminium-oxide (powder/gas) RCS systems.

For obvious reasons, a solid rocket booster isn't going to cut it for precise orbital maneuvering; GREAT for the initial boost to lunar orbit, but for precise maneuvering is going to be really difficult.

So, without actually reducing the amount of limited water on the moon, I figured the only way to do RCS and small orbital adjustments with ISRU, would be a combination rocket that uses powdered aluminium, and some form of oxygen feed system to make a hybrid powder/gas rocket.

What I'm having trouble with is the feed system for the precise measurement of the powder to oxygen ratio.

I've thought of a arcemedies screw, drawing from a cylinder filled with the powdered aluminium, that has a piston at the top to push the powder down towards the screw.

OR, a solid aluminum plug, that oxygen blasts through and ejects into multiple tubes (RCS ports) with valves and shit like that to control where the thrust goes to.

Anyway, does anyone have any ideas for a zero-g feeding system for a powdered propellant?

(BTW, Elon, Bezos, do not steal this idea because I will know about it.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iXscnP-3U8