155:. It is far less toxic than hydrazine and has a much lower boiling point, though it can be liquified at room temperature under pressure. Like hydrazine it has a positive enthalpy of formation that makes it both potentially unstable and a viable monopropellant. It can be decomposed with a catalyst to produce a hot mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. When mixed with a fuel and stored before use, it becomes a mixed monopropellant.
1414:
167:. The promise of high performance, greater range and lighter feed systems drove experimentation with blends of nitrous oxide and ammonia, which resulted in numerous explosions and demolished motors. The complexities involved in building propulsion systems that can safely handle nitrous oxide fuel blend monopropellants have been a deterrent to serious development.
716:
145:, can be used as a monopropellant to greatly simplify system design. But it is also extremely toxic and has a relatively high freezing point of +1C. It is also unstable, an inherent property of any substance with a positive enthalpy of formation.
189:(ISS), with an initial tentative flight date no earlier than 2012. NASA formally approved the mission to the ISS on a 2013 launch slot in May 2012. The mission had been slated to travel to the ISS in the unpressurized cargo compartment of a
193:
spacecraft during one of the contracted NASA cargo re-supply missions in mid-2013. The "ISPS NOFBX Green
Propellant Demonstration" will utilize a deep-throttling 100 pounds-force (440 N)-thrust-class engine burning NOFBX
255:
contract. NOFBX was promoted by the company at the time as a "game changing" technology with the several characteristics that underline why safer monopropellants were of interest in the industry:
73:, cost, toxicity, risk of explosions, and other problems make it important for engineers to design rockets with appropriate propellants. The major classes of rocket fuels are:
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paper on the decomposition of nitrous oxide has raised concerns about the safety risks of mixing hydrocarbons with nitrous oxide. By adding hydrocarbons, the
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883:
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German rocket scientists were experimenting with nitrous oxide fuel blends as early as 1937. Nitrous oxide fuel blends testing continued throughout
446:
585:
47:
decomposes into oxygen-rich gasses. Combustion then ensues. Special care is needed in the chemical formulation and engine design to prevent
202:
on the ISS, and had been expected to remain on-orbit for approximately one year while undergoing a "series of in-space performance tests."
741:
178:
1065:
213:
blended mono-propellant developed by
Firestar Technologies. The NOFBX patent claimed a mixture of nitrous oxide as the oxidizer with
1139:
677:
353:
is a monopropellant, which significantly reduces the need for auxiliary hardware, saving cost, volume, and mass for launch systems
347:
is tolerant to a wide thermal range; storable at room temperature on the ground as well as in temperatures found in outer space
240:. Flight testing of NOFBX engines had been planned on the International Space Station, but, in the event, did not go forward.
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646:. 44th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit. Hartford, CT: Aerospace Research Central.
39:
In nitrous-oxide fuel blends, the fuel and oxidizer are blended and stored; this is sometimes referred to as a
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The propellant used in a rocket engine plays an important role in both engine design and in design of the
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Subsequent development of nitrous oxide fuel blends picked up again in the 2000s, and in 2011 an in-
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was projected to lower cost compared to existing propulsion systems of comparable performance
236:) and is less toxic than other monopropellants currently used in space applications, such as
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constituents are widely available from chemical suppliers, inexpensive and safe to handle
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and produce no accumulated deposits or contamination; whereas hydrazine emits ammonia
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43:. Upon use, the propellant is heated or passed over a catalyst bed and the
248:
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651:
559:"Firestar Technologies • Advanced Chemical Propulsion and Power Systems"
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803:
151:
can be used as an oxidizer with various fuels; it is popular mainly in
356:
utilizes thrusters that run cooler, reducing thermal design challenges
793:
771:
218:
214:
262:
can be transported and handled without undue precautions or hazards
177:
mission was planned. In the event, the flight test was cancelled.
642:
Karabeyoglu, A. (2008). "Modeling of N2O Decomposition Events".
366:
206:
182:
730:
617:"NITROUS OXIDE FUEL BLEND MONOPROPELLANTS - Patent application"
373:
to an explosive decomposition event is lowered significantly.
69:
and related ground equipment to service the vehicle. Weight,
205:
NOFBX was a trademarked name for a proprietary nitrous oxide/
181:
had announced plans to test the NOFBX mono-propellant on the
76:
28:
that were intended in the early 2010s to be able to replace
439:
Ignition!: An
Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
722:
USPAT 20090133788 Nitrous oxide fuel blend monopropellants
696:"Green Propulsion Demo Passes Space Station Safety Review"
141:. It is liquid at room temperature and, having a positive
591:. Firestar Technologies. February 9, 2011. Archived from
533:"ISS-bound Propellant Demo Passes NASA Safety Review"
705:(talks about the (then upcoming) NASA safety review)
314:) are all substantially less toxic than traditional
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507:"SpaceX To Deliver Green-Propulsion Testbed To ISS"
330:of about 230 s; NOFBX was reported to have an
644:American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
580:
578:
576:
505:
694:Doug Mohney (May 17, 2012). Brooke Neuman (ed.).
400:
398:
198:that will be mounted to the outside the European
423:(online publication date precedes print edition)
137:A common fuel in small maneuvering thrusters is
344:, more than three times greater than hydrazine
742:
247:to power high-altitude, long-endurance drone
8:
468:
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460:
458:
1194:
1035:
896:
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664:Sutton, George P.; Biblarz, Oscar (2001).
475:"A Non-Toxic Fuel From the Mojave Desert"
243:NOFBX had previously been used to fuel a
36:rocket propellent in some applications.
1161:Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion
611:
609:
607:
605:
394:
316:long-duration storable monopropellants
7:
485:from the original on October 7, 2011
22:Nitrous oxide fuel blend propellants
504:Morring, Frank Jr. (May 21, 2012).
179:Innovative Space Propulsion Systems
1066:Field-emission electric propulsion
512:Aviation Week and Space Technology
16:Class of liquid rocket propellants
14:
1140:Microwave electrothermal thruster
1412:
473:Messier, Doug (August 9, 2011).
225:as the fuel. NOFBX has a higher
586:"NOFBX Monopropulsion Overview"
405:Joiner, Stephen (May 1, 2011).
108:Designs using one or more fuels
1270:Pulsed nuclear thermal rocket
1166:High Power Electric Propulsion
1:
1125:Helicon double-layer thruster
1094:Electrodeless plasma thruster
1089:Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster
441:. Rutgers University Press.
411:Air & Space Smithsonian
187:International Space Station
1460:
666:Rocket Propulsion Elements
561:. Firestar-engineering.com
58:
1410:
1084:Pulsed inductive thruster
539:. May 29, 2012. p. 9
88:Liquid rocket propellants
26:liquid rocket propellants
1258:Nuclear pulse propulsion
1017:Electric-pump-fed engine
917:Hybrid-propellant rocket
907:Liquid-propellant rocket
717:NOFBX patent application
1314:Beam-powered propulsion
1287:Fission-fragment rocket
1242:Nuclear photonic rocket
1210:Nuclear electric rocket
976:Staged combustion cycle
912:Solid-propellant rocket
407:"The Mojave Launch Lab"
1365:Non-rocket spacelaunch
1215:Nuclear thermal rocket
1115:Pulsed plasma thruster
1031:Electrical propulsion
758:Spacecraft propulsion
670:John Wiley & Sons
143:enthalpy of formation
1263:Antimatter-catalyzed
1061:Hall-effect thruster
874:Solar thermal rocket
245:reciprocating engine
41:mixed monopropellant
1205:Direct Fusion Drive
1120:Vacuum arc thruster
1007:Pressure-fed engine
986:Gas-generator cycle
893:Chemical propulsion
830:Physical propulsion
652:10.2514/6.2008-4933
1439:Rocket propellants
1419:Spaceflight portal
1385:Reactionless drive
1350:Aerogravity assist
1190:Nuclear propulsion
265:its end products (
1426:
1425:
1380:Atmospheric entry
1335:Orbital mechanics
1302:
1301:
1184:
1183:
1135:Resistojet rocket
1025:
1024:
1000:Intake mechanisms
933:Liquid propellant
837:Cold gas thruster
598:on July 24, 2011.
448:978-0-8135-0725-5
321:hydrazine has an
134:
133:
93:Solid propellants
61:Rocket propellant
51:the stored fuel.
1451:
1416:
1400:Alcubierre drive
1390:Field propulsion
1340:Orbital maneuver
1328:Related concepts
1195:
1046:Colloid thruster
1036:
897:
799:Specific impulse
751:
744:
737:
728:
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683:
668:(7th ed.).
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227:specific impulse
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32:as the standard
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1444:Monopropellants
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1077:Electromagnetic
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1012:Pump-fed engine
995:
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816:Rocket equation
782:Reaction engine
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688:Further reading
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361:Safety concerns
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200:Columbus module
185:portion of the
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114:Monopropellants
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24:are a class of
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1307:External power
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1280:Bussard ramjet
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711:External links
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700:Satellite News
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371:energy barrier
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342:energy density
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153:hybrid rockets
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124:Tripropellants
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71:energy density
67:launch vehicle
59:Main article:
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991:Tap-off cycle
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960:Tripropellant
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864:Electric sail
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787:Reaction mass
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679:0-471-32642-9
675:
672:. p. 6.
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623:. Patent Docs
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479:Parabolic Arc
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383:Nitrous oxide
381:
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337:of 300 s
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191:SpaceX Dragon
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149:Nitrous oxide
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119:Bipropellants
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1360:Space launch
1292:Fission sail
1220:Radioisotope
1051:Ion thruster
969:Power cycles
955:Bipropellant
847:Steam rocket
842:Water rocket
699:
665:
643:
637:
627:December 30,
625:. Retrieved
620:
593:the original
565:December 30,
563:. Retrieved
553:
541:. Retrieved
536:
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515:. Retrieved
511:
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487:. Retrieved
478:
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414:. Retrieved
410:
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242:
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169:
165:World War II
162:
147:
136:
128:
64:
40:
38:
21:
20:
18:
1375:Aerocapture
1370:Aerobraking
1251:Open system
1235:"Lightbulb"
1176:Mass driver
926:Propellants
857:Diffractive
340:has better
175:flight test
1433:Categories
1395:Warp drive
1225:Salt-water
943:Hypergolic
852:Solar sail
537:Space News
389:References
211:emulsifier
82:Fuel types
49:detonating
938:Cryogenic
489:August 9,
416:March 18,
238:hydrazine
223:acetylene
139:hydrazine
30:hydrazine
1230:Gas core
765:Concepts
621:Faqs.org
543:June 26,
483:Archived
437:(1972).
377:See also
251:under a
249:aircraft
55:Overview
34:storable
1319:Tethers
1171:MagBeam
1056:Gridded
811:Staging
804:Delta-v
517:May 24,
365:A 2008
159:History
1145:VASIMR
794:Thrust
772:Rocket
676:
445:
277:, CO,
219:ethene
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