Here on Earth, the atmosphere is ideal for jet engines which combust a fuel using the native oxygen as an oxidizer. On another planet, might it make sense to carry oxidizer in the fuel tanks and scoop the fuel from the air (assuming the planet contained some suitable Fuel in its atmosphere)? This is just the reverse of what jets here on Earth do. Would there be some reason for this to not work?
Asked
Active
Viewed 64 times
5
-
Brilliant. Swoop through a methane gas cloud and off you go! – John Alexiou Oct 24 '17 at 22:34
-
1The amount of fuel in the atmosphere (atmospheric density) would be a critical factor. The other would be getting the correct mix of fuel & oxidizer. – Fred Oct 25 '17 at 02:15
-
Isaac Asimov covered this situation, albeit not for engine propulsion. You can find it in one of "Asimov's Mysteries" (short story collection) – Carl Witthoft Oct 25 '17 at 19:10
-
@Fred, true, but that's equally true for the air-breathers we all know and love. Change the oxygen ratio of our atmosphere and see what happens. – Carl Witthoft Oct 25 '17 at 19:11
-
Here are some good answers to an equivalent question on the Astronomy.SE site. – Ray Butterworth Apr 15 '19 at 19:21