Propulsion
The engines provided by this mod are to set a baseline for other such engines that may be waiting to be made in other mods, and to provide more use cases for foreign atmospheres and for the novelty propellants encouraged by this mod:
- RR J-406 "Main Coon": A clone of the Panther with only its Wet mode for performance reasons. Its peak thrust occurs around Mach 2 and its top speed is at Mach 2.8. The Main Coon includes a small nuclear reactor converter which steadily produces ElectricCharge but also produces ThermalPower which is consumed along with IntakeAtm by the engine module. It is an experimental engine and is prone to overheat if kept at full throttle for a long time and not given ample cooling. Its thrust ratings increase in thicker atmospheres than Kerbin's but its ability to overheat its reactor and flameout also increases. As this engine does not require LiquidFuel or Oxygen it can operate indefinitely on Eve and Duna... until its nuclear core fizzles out from use.
| Propellants | Thrust (Static ~ Peak) | Speeds (At Max Thrust, Top) | Isp |
|---|---|---|---|
| IntakeAtm, ThermalPower | 130 ~ 472 kN | Mach 2.5, 2.8 | 2000s |
| Reactor temps (Optimal, Shutoff) | Production per sec | Life expectancy |
|---|---|---|
| 1000K, 1350K | 15 ElectricCharge, 1 ThermalPower | 46 days |
- RR LV-N-O: A clone of the NERVA engine. It burns high-density oxygenated or "oxidizing" propellants, granting high thrust at low Isp. Its overall performance will seem to be as of a small sea-level LFO engine, but its propellants are far easier to come by at rocky planets.
- RR LV-N-R: A clone of the NERVA engine. It burns (mostly) low-density deoxygenated or "reducing" propellants, granting mid to high Isp. Its overall performance will highly resemble the NERVA itself.
| Engine | Propellant | Thrust (ASL ~ Vac) | Isp (ASL ~ Vac) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LV-N-O | LqdCO2 | 39 ~ 170 kN | 56 ~ 283s |
| Water | 30 ~ 130 kN | 86 ~ 370s | |
| LV-N-R | LqdHydrogen | 14 ~ 6 0kN | 185 ~ 800s |
| LqdNitrogen | 7.6 ~ 40 kN | 60 ~ 261s | |
| LqdAmmonia | 28 ~ 120 kN | 92 ~ 400s | |
| LqdMethane | 19 ~ 80 kN | 140 ~ 606s |
RR_NuclearFamily.cfg which enables tagged, compatible NTR parts from other mods to be cloned and configured to be just as the cloned NERVAs provided by this mod. Three engines from the mod Kerbal Atomics are used as examples. Thrust and Isp values are scaled accordingly for all propellants and scaled by the base efficiency of the unique engine.
- RR MAPT: A clone of the 0.625m J-20 "Juno" jet engine. It is treated as a rocket and not a turbofan engine so it does not benefit from operating at certain velocity ranges in atmosphere, but has no Mach limit. The MAPT derives from the highly anticipated engine of the same name and can enable SSTO craft of all kinds and which don't depend on combustion of Oxygen.
| Propellants | Thrust (Peak) | Isp (ASL ~ Vac) | Flameout pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| IntakeAtm, ElectricCharge | 20 kN | 1340 ~ 2000s | 3.5 atm |
- RR MET: A clone of the "Dawn" ion engine. Effectively very similar technology to the MAPT but still very different and very specialized. Unlike the Dawn, the MET burns Water with reasonable specific impulse and is able to generate both great TWR and ΔV.
| Propellants | Thrust (Peak) | Isp (ASL ~ Vac) | Flameout pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, ElectricCharge | 20 kN | 150 ~ 750s | 2 atm |
- RR SFRJ "ThunderPunch": A clone of the RT-10 "Hammer" SRB with a re-textured Mk1 LiquidFuel Fuselage welded on. It does not hold as much SolidFuel as may be expected due to having an annular intake and central shaft that moves up and down to control airflow into and around the combustion space. As a solid rocket, its minimum thrust is non-zero, however, it can be started and restarted by controlled shock heating at the intake and the resultant ablation of the fuel. This same process causes the rocket to be inoperable at speeds under Mach 1. As an air-augmented rocket, it gains great efficiency by using ram air effect to aid in combustion and efficient use of the atmosphere rather than fighting the atmosphere to move forward.
⚠️ Due to the use of hot air for ablation and ignition, and being restart-able, it is presumed that the SolidFuel in an SFRJ does not contain its own Oxidizer so such an engine cannot be used on Eve and Duna. An air-augmented solid rocket, however, does not depend on Oxygen and so has its own Oxidizer, and cannot be shut off.
| Velocity Mode | Propellants | Thrust (Min, Peak) | Isp | Cruise Speed | Mach Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascent Booster | SolidFuel, IntakeAir | 136 ~ 340 kN | 780s | 5.0 Ma | 1.8 ~ 5.6 Ma |
| Airliner | SolidFuel, IntakeAir | 136 ~ 340 kN | 780s | 2.9 Ma | 1.1 ~ 3.1 Ma |