Solar Rocket
Gerardo Flores Sanchez Guillermo Flores Sanchez
Grade 7
Presentation
Problem
Could a non-polluting energy source be used to launch a rocket into space?
*https://www.nasa.gov/tdm/solar-electric-propulsion/
*https://www.google.com/search?q=what+happens+when+there%27s+more+carbon+dioxide+in+the+air
*https://infinity-renewables.com/
Method
When we did our research we use internet.
*https://www.nasa.gov/tdm/solar-electric-propulsion/
*https://www.google.com/search?q=what+happens+when+there%27s+more+carbon+dioxide+in+the+air
Research
What fuel does a rocket use? Common rockets use jet fuel, this is made of naphtha, gasoline, or kerosene, all of this components are really bad for the environment for example naphtha makes ecotoxicity to both air and water, this can cause serious damage to all living things that use that water or breath that air.
Can we change the fuel of a rocket? We thought of using alcohol BECAUSE there's a lot of alcohol in the world and that is really powerful and very flammable and that can help to make the rocket go to space but when it goes on fire it releases lots of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), this can affect the environment very much. HOW It affected because when there's more CO2 in the atmosphere it makes that the heat never goes and get more heat the places of the earth and can make that the climate change from a normal statues to a storm of a horrible storm and even it can make that the poles get more melted than before and that can affect the human because the human expulse naturally CO2 and breath O2 but if there's more CO2 than O2 it can affect the human body and because there’s less trees than before and there are steel cutting trees it will be enough trees and plants to make O2 for the earth and affect the Ozone Cope.
Then we thought about using phosphorus BECAUSE it is a component that is really easy to get and it is very flammable and some types of it can cause explosions, like yellow and white phosphorus.HOW We didn’t continue this idea because the smoke from burning phosphorus is harmful to the eyes and respiratory tract as phosphorus oxides dissolve in moisture to form phosphoric acids. White phosphorus is also harmful to the environment because of its risk of exploding when it gets in contact with fire.
What fuel does the most important launching rocket companies use? All agencies that send rockets to space mostly use hydrazine, liquid methane, and also liquid hydrogen but what they use the most is jet fuel and Hydroxyzine.
What can we use? We researched and found that we can use the Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) that Nasa is developing for future missions propelled by solar energy, this is going to allow the rocket to move to space but to get to space we research that we could use the type of turbines that the airplane ANTONOV AN-225 uses to propulse a small rocket to get across the sky and into the atmosphere, to give energy to them we would use preloaded solar batteries to have the enough energy to make the expedition.
How do solar panels work on a rocket? Spacecraft have solar panels which convert the Sun's energy into electricity that powers the spacecraft. The solar energy charges a battery on the spacecraft that stores the energy so it can be used whenever it is needed.
What type of batteries can store solar energy? Batteries used in home energy storage typically are made with one of three chemical compositions: lead acid, lithium ion, and saltwater. In most cases, lithium ion batteries are the best option for a solar panel system, though other battery types can be more affordable.
What is the cost of one solar battery? The price varies depending on the brand and model, but the average price is around $800 to $1,000 per kWh of battery capacity. For example, the Tesla Powerwall has an energy storage capacity of 13.5 kWh and it sells for around $11,500.
What fuel does a rocket use? Common rockets use jet fuel, this is made of naphtha, gasoline, or kerosene, all of this components are really bad for the environment for example naphtha makes ecotoxicity to both air and water, this can cause serious damage to all living things that use that water or breath that air.
Can we change the fuel of a rocket? We thought of using alcohol BECAUSE there's a lot of alcohol in the world and that is really powerful and very flammable and that can help to make the rocket go to space but when it goes on fire it releases lots of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), this can affect the environment very much. HOW It affected because when there's more CO2 in the atmosphere it makes that the heat never goes and get more heat the places of the earth and can make that the climate change from a normal statues to a storm of a horrible storm and even it can make that the poles get more melted than before and that can affect the human because the human expulse naturally CO2 and breath O2 but if there's more CO2 than O2 it can affect the human body and because there’s less trees than before and there are steel cutting trees it will be enough trees and plants to make O2 for the earth and affect the Ozone Cope.
Then we thought about using phosphorus BECAUSE it is a component that is really easy to get and it is very flammable and some types of it can cause explosions, like yellow and white phosphorus.HOW We didn’t continue this idea because the smoke from burning phosphorus is harmful to the eyes and respiratory tract as phosphorus oxides dissolve in moisture to form phosphoric acids. White phosphorus is also harmful to the environment because of its risk of exploding when it gets in contact with fire.
What fuel does the most important launching rocket companies use? All agencies that send rockets to space mostly use hydrazine, liquid methane, and also liquid hydrogen but what they use the most is jet fuel and Hydroxyzine.
What can we use? We researched and found that we can use the Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) that Nasa is developing for future missions propelled by solar energy, this is going to allow the rocket to move to space but to get to space we research that we could use the type of turbines that the airplane ANTONOV AN-225 uses to propulse a small rocket to get across the sky and into the atmosphere, to give energy to them we would use preloaded solar batteries to have the enough energy to make the expedition.
How do solar panels work on a rocket? Spacecraft have solar panels which convert the Sun's energy into electricity that powers the spacecraft. The solar energy charges a battery on the spacecraft that stores the energy so it can be used whenever it is needed.
What type of batteries can store solar energy? Batteries used in home energy storage typically are made with one of three chemical compositions: lead acid, lithium ion, and saltwater. In most cases, lithium ion batteries are the best option for a solar panel system, though other battery types can be more affordable.
What is the cost of one solar battery? The price varies depending on the brand and model, but the average price is around $800 to $1,000 per kWh of battery capacity. For example, the Tesla Powerwall has an energy storage capacity of 13.5 kWh and it sells for around $11,500.
Data
Conclusion
Our question is, could a non-polluting energy source be used to launch a rocket into space? For us the final answer is Yes, we find out that solar energy can replace the Jet fuel and the other fuel other companies of all the world use because it is a nonpolluting and a renewable source of energy so it can be the next source of energy to make space travels and as on Earth cars have pas from fossil fuel cars to electric cars, the rockets could be electric and powered by the sun. Our hypothesis is correct because after researching a lot of information from many websites we figured out that we could use the energy of the sun to launch a rocket to space by converting solar energy to electricity.