Ariane ULTIMATE

[Michel Van]

I don't known what they smoking at CNES

Study for Ariane 7 a Reusable SSTO Rocket
build from advance Composite materials based on Nano carbon tubes
Using a Monopropellant with ISP of 450 sec !!!
what they call Polynitrogen cycles

It's scream EXTREM EXPENSIVE & EXPLOSIVE

To compare SpaceX use cheap steel and Methan/Lox for there Starship and Superheavy

Source:

Interesting Ariane Ultimate concept from @CNES 's #ArianeWorks
SSTO, using a 450s Isp monopropellant, reusable. It seems to be more of a research roadmap than an actual concept to replace Ariane 6 with. Source is the latest @aerospatium pic.twitter.com/vmPNschiVY

— stromgade (@stromgade) February 21, 2019

View: https://twitter.com/stromgade/status/1098676265844920321

 

[TomcatViP]

Notice that the CAD model is very rudimentary without even any structural layout discernable.

 

[archipeppe]

It seems more like a concept or case study like anything else...

 

[Hobbes]

From Parabolic Arc, more details:

reflections for the post-2040 are well underway with the Ariane Ultimate project . At this stage, it is still only a concept, that is to say a pool of new technologies which are in an embryonic state but which we want to make mature by this time, in order to develop a launcher that must be carbon neutral, fully reusable and at almost zero marginal launch cost. It is also a question of projecting on the new uses of space in the coming decades as we can imagine them on this horizon: for example the need for high speeds to reach the low orbits which could serve as hubs of exchange towards the Moon or towards Mars.

Ariane Ultimate will represent a departure from previous generations of launchers. It is about finding the ideas and technologies to meet these objectives and these future uses.

Cheaper, simpler, more efficient, easier to recover: this type of single-stage launcher would be the holy grail! However, it is not currently possible, especially because the materials we use are too heavy. We must therefore find a way to lighten the structures,” explains Nathalie Girard.

Initial research is therefore oriented towards the development of new, lighter and extremely resistant materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, or architectural materials made possible by 3D manufacturing. Another avenue is to work on propulsion, with new high energy density propellants which would make it possible to drastically reduce the mass and the cost on the launcher. Ariane Ultimate finally incorporates reflections on avionics and software that will benefit from emerging technological advances, such as “many cores” processors or the quantum computer.

 

[dannydale]

a Monopropellant with ISP of 450 sec !!!

John Clark would probably have something to say about this, particularly if it's anything other than Cavea B.

 

[Dilandu]

Engineer Hans, World War 2 is over, honestly, nobody would send you to Eastern Front... you really dont need to overcomplicate things anymore.

 

[Michel Van]

my first reaction reading the tweet

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwSts2s4ba4

 

[World B4]

Mad respect for whichever engineer made a sketch of his wife's marital aid, put some engines on the back, and threw in as many futuristic sounding features as he could to ensure the project never gets off the ground

Probably got a raise for it

 

[TomcatViP]

More on the project in french: SSTO, vapor ware sciences and good intends for a somewhat plagiarized version of SpaceX, SpacEUX(?) :

Ariane Ultimate : à quoi ressemblera le lanceur de demain ?

Le Cnes réfléchit déjà à l’après 2040 et au lanceur qui sera mis en service dans un contexte de l’utilisation de l’espace très différent de ce qu'il est aujourd’hui. L’orbite basse devrait devenir...

www.futura-sciences.com

(edited)

 

[Michel Van]

And here an exclusive picture of the lead designer:

who is that guy ?

 

[TomcatViP]

It's the Technical expert of Toretto's team in Fast and Furious:

Tej Parker

Tej Parker is one of the main deutertagonist in The Fast and The Furious Franchise. He is a old friend of Brian O'Conner. He hosted street race which Brian participated in. He is also technical expert in Dom's crew. He is potrayed by actor and singer Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. Tej does not race...

heroes-and-villians.fandom.com

Edit: the joke was to associate the above movie character with the guy that came-up with such idea.

 

[Michel Van]

I look into those Polynitrogen compounds they want to use

A polymere of Nitrogene formed under high pressure above 10 Giga pascal at 1800°K
it remain metastable and could be used as Solid fuel
wenn it decomposed it produce hot exhaust of N2
theoretical estimates that polynitrogen compounds can provide a specific impulse of 350–500 sec
with material density in a range of 2.0–3.9 g/cm3.

This sound nice, but biggest question remains, is this Stuff cheap to produce ?

 

[TMA1]

We are reaching to red mercury levels of madness here. Only thing I can think of developing those pressures are DACs. Dont think you could produce enough of that kind of thing in quantity unless there are exotic new technologies almost everybody is unaware of. Also I could only assume a product like this would be horrifically unstable. But I am a layman that doesnt know much.

After briefly reading an abstract on it they say it requires 100 gigapascals to make the compound. It is tantalum based. How stable it is I couldn't get a read on. They are using diamond anvil cells. How could you produce this stuff in quantity even if stable? It would be ridiculously expensive, wouldn't it? It is still really awesome science whether it can be made in quantity or not. Nitrogen polymers??? We live in interesting times.

Edit: had to rewrite.