Realistic rocket fuel

Andre

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Mar 3, 2013
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normally the rocket fuel is liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen due to the fact that they are light and so-so cheap, or as a solid rocket fuel, people can use aluminum powder as rocket fuel. I think they should be change because right now no-one will launch a rocket using heavy oil as a propellent. Also, i think you will need to carry oxygen for fuels that use them to create a reaction (oil, hydrogen)
Thx for viewing
 

Codym2405

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Mar 3, 2015
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They used diesel for the saturn 5 rockets, but I do agree that oxygen should be considered as a fuel for rockets, but liquid oxygen would be too expensive for early players
 

waterlubber

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May 30, 2015
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Currently, the refined oil as rocket fuel is realistic as a first stage fuel. It's called RP-1, highly refined kerosene. However, real rockets also use Oxidizer, typically always cryogenic or compressed liquid oxygen. I think we should have to condense oxygen and continue to use the "rocket fuel" (actually should be called propellant) for rockets. If staging is added, upper stages could use hydrogen. Methane is also a fuel (SpaceX is considering it for their Raptor engine).
 

dj3520

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Aug 14, 2014
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The reason the fuel isn't too complicated is...well...so it's not complicated. Though I have seen talks about adding oxygen to the tier 3 rocket, since by then you've been to mars and you're more than likely electrolyzing water in the process to make fuel. Unless you have other mods installed that can liquefy oxygen from its gas state, the earliest you can do it is after you've mined some desh (found on mars) to make an electrolyzer or a liquefier, so a tier 3 rocket (requires desh) is the best place to start adding it in, after you're pretty involved in the technology and you've likely got some of the stuff laying around as byproduct (unless you're like me and can set up an automated way to exchange the gas and liquid back and forth, and therefore store all oxygen in liquid form.)
 

radfast

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Apr 27, 2014
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A world made of 1 metre cube blocks (which can hang in mid air with no apparent support) is not very realistic.

I'm happy with things as they are. The Fuel is an abstraction for the complexities that would be involved in real life - as I see it, it's intended to be RP-1 if made in a Refinery or compressed liquid methane if made in a Gas Liquefier. Those two are fairly similar fuels, although chemically different of course. My guess is that in real life a rocket which uses one as propellant could also use the other one, with little or no adaptation.

I appreciate that now that we have Liquid Oxygen in the game it would be possible to add a liquid oxygen tank to every rocket tier, and a liquid oxygen loading machine etc, but I don't really see much point. It's two more machines for beginning players to build before they can get into space, but no obstacle to more advanced players who can make infinite Liquid Oxygen for free.

For Galacticraft's future I am much more interested in:
- developments connected with living in space and building sustainable space bases including food requirements etc
- optionally, more realistic handling of water and water requirements in space (see also notes here: http://wiki.micdoodle8.com/wiki/Game_Balance#Hard_Mode)
 

Codym2405

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Mar 3, 2015
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Yea, but galacticraft seems to be based on real life science and chemistry, so a oxygen rocket should be added at some point. I do agree with your idea of developments you would like to see, but this is also something I would like to see.
 

dj3520

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Aug 14, 2014
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I appreciate that now that we have Liquid Oxygen in the game it would be possible to add a liquid oxygen tank to every rocket tier, and a liquid oxygen loading machine etc, but I don't really see much point. It's two more machines for beginning players to build before they can get into space, but no obstacle to more advanced players who can make infinite Liquid Oxygen for free.
This is why I voiced my opinion that only tier 3 and up require oxygen, since by that time making fuel from water on mars has oxygen gas as a byproduct.
A world made of 1 metre cube blocks (which can hang in mid air with no apparent support) is not very realistic.
Minecraft itself isn't logical, so I wouldn't worry about it. I can make one dirt block float in midair, then grow a tree on it.
 

Space Viking

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Jun 30, 2013
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One reasonable concept that would only need some minor changes could be assuming early rocket technology as either thermal or monopropellant. All that's needed is some creative application of the various forms of unobtanium found in the world of Minecraft.

A thermal rocket would be straight-forward by just replacing the Flint and Steel with a Blaze Rod for the Rocket Engine recipe, which means it would generate thrust by heating up the propellant to high temperatures – just like an NTR. If assumed monopropellant, the Flint and Steel could be swapped with a craftable catalyst core of some sort that might include a mix of Blaze Rod/Powder, Redstone and Netherrack (Nether oxide compound?) which causes regular fuel to rapidly decompose. The Tier 1 Boosters could have its recipe adjusted accordingly by replacing the Fuel Canister.

Whichever it would be, I think it would be fitting having the player needing to also mine some Nether exclusive resources for the space program. Galacticraft is kind of like an extension to the Minecraft endgame.
 

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