He anticipated a series of tests, lasting for several weeks, where the engine’s thrust is gradually increased to measure its performance and determine if it suffers from combustion instability.Mark Yates examines the engineering behind Apollo, and highlights the continuing importance of science and R&D teams on the groundįIFTY years ago, on 14 December 1972, the single fixed-thrust hypergolic engine on the ascent stage of Apollo 17’s lunar module Challenger burst into life, rocketing its two astronauts back into lunar orbit. “We look first to the combustion instability as the chief technical risk that must be retired before we’d be able to pick an engine,” Bruno said. The BE-4 engine is the largest engine developed to date that uses methane as fuel, rather than more common alternatives like kerosene or liquid hydrogen. “Any time when you are developing a new rocket engine, any time you change the scale or the fuel, you are at risk of this phenomenon,” he said. Since this engine uses methane as fuel like SpaceX's Raptor, is it possible that SpaceX might encounter the same problems, like Bruno is anticipating with the BE-4?Įdit: Here's the important part of the article:Ī major aspect of the engine tests, he said, is to determine the degree of combustion instability the BE-4 has when the engine starts.

In the beginning of this article, Tory Bruno states that there are possible combustion instabilities in BO's new engine (the BE-4). SpaceX Time Machine - searchable mission archiveĬheck out our multireddits for spaceflight companies and solar system bodies!.SpaceXLaunches - launch campaign tracking.

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Apollo 4 combustion instability