Difference between revisions of "Engine"
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== Reaction engine == | == Reaction engine == | ||
{{Main article|Reaction engine}} | {{Main article|Reaction engine}} | ||
| − | A reaction engine | + | A reaction engine is based on Newton's third law: “for every action there is an equal and oppposite ''reaction''”. Reaction engines expel reaction mass outward along the exact opposite vector as the [[craft]] is accelerating along. This force can generally be called ''thrust''. |
| − | * [[ | + | |
| − | * [[Solid fuel]] | + | To be more intuitive to KSP, this wiki considers reaction engines only to be those where thrust comes directly from expending fuel. There are five major types of reaction engine, one of which is technically a sub-type of another: |
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Jet engines]], which expend [[liquid fuel]] and [[intake air]] |
| − | + | * Liquid fuel rocket engines, which expend [[liquid fuel]] and [[oxidizer]] | |
| − | + | ** or Monopropellant engines, which expend [[monopropellant]] | |
| + | * Solid fuel rocket engines, which expend [[solid fuel]] | ||
| + | * Ion engines, which expend [[xenon gas]] utilizing [[electric charge]] | ||
| + | Of note, jet engines can only work inside of an [[oxygen]]-rich [[atmosphere]], as intake air cannot be stored in any practical way. The rest are considered ''rocket engines'' as they can function in vacuum using only resources stored aboard the craft. | ||
== Jet engine == | == Jet engine == | ||
Revision as of 05:34, 10 March 2015
An engine is a part to accelerate a craft. There are three different type of engines available which have different properties.
Reaction engine
- → Main article: Reaction engine
A reaction engine is based on Newton's third law: “for every action there is an equal and oppposite reaction”. Reaction engines expel reaction mass outward along the exact opposite vector as the craft is accelerating along. This force can generally be called thrust.
To be more intuitive to KSP, this wiki considers reaction engines only to be those where thrust comes directly from expending fuel. There are five major types of reaction engine, one of which is technically a sub-type of another:
- Jet engines, which expend liquid fuel and intake air
- Liquid fuel rocket engines, which expend liquid fuel and oxidizer
- or Monopropellant engines, which expend monopropellant
- Solid fuel rocket engines, which expend solid fuel
- Ion engines, which expend xenon gas utilizing electric charge
Of note, jet engines can only work inside of an oxygen-rich atmosphere, as intake air cannot be stored in any practical way. The rest are considered rocket engines as they can function in vacuum using only resources stored aboard the craft.
Jet engine
- → Main article: Jet engine
A jet engine intakes air, mixes it with liquid fuel, and after combustion pushes exhaust gas out of a nozzle. They could work in weightlessness but need an oxygenated atmosphere to work, which is impossible to recreate in KSP. They are more efficient than rocket engines as the oxygen for combusting their fuel is gathered in-flight from outside air, not oxidizer carried onboard adding to total mass. These engines use only liquid fuel.
Rover wheels
A completely different type of engine are rover wheels. They can accelerate a craft in vacuum but they need friction with an surface to move along this surface, so they won't work in weightlessness but with artificial gravitation they can drive on the inner side of a centrifuge in weightlessness. Usually they are very slow compared to the fuel consuming engines but run only on electricity so that they can run forever as long as there is a generator on board.
