Merlin engine: Rocket science can be easy

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"Merlin engine: Rocket science can be easy"

Sophia Xu
Updated: August. 16, 2024

The basic concepts of rockets aren´t that hard. It's just that you blow something up and then you fly. Ok, it might not be THAT easy.
 But for simplicity´s sake. Im going to talk about the engine whos goal was to quote on quote "Be cheap and simple". Give it up for the merlin engine!

Ok, some backstory first. So nobody believed in spaceX first. Elon was partnering with a private company and everyone thought it was gonna flop. So Elon was the only one investing in SpaceX with his PayPal fortune. But that's not THAT much money so he had to start saving money. In other words. If it creates boom booms it's good enough.

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So forget all the cool things about rocket engines. And go back to school, remember newtons third law of motion? Which says that for every action there is a equal and opposite reaction. So if you punch Timmy in the face your knuckles will be punched too. But since knuckles are harder than faces, Timmy takes more damage. 

A rocket engine works by throwing mass in one direction to create thrust in the opposite direction. This is achieved through the combustion of fuel (Refind petroleum 1 or RP-1) and an oxidizer (liquid oxygen LOX) in a combustion chamber. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown since you probably have a million questions.

1. Fuel and Oxidizer Storage: Rocket engines have separate tanks for fuel and oxidizer. Unlike jet engines, which take in air from the atmosphere, rocket engines carry their own oxidizer. This allows them to operate in the vacuum of space.

2. Combustion Chamber: The fuel and oxidizer are pumped into the combustion chamber, where they mix and create the boom chakalaka. The combustion process generates a high-pressure, high-temperature gas.

3. Nozzle: The hot gas is expelled through a nozzle, which accelerates the gas to high speeds, and that's thanks to the nozzle design. Its like a trumpet small first and than it becomes bigger. 

4. Thrust: The expulsion of gas generates Boom booms aka thrust, propelling the rocket forward. This boom boom is what allows rockets to overcome Earth’s gravity and reach space. Cool right?

The good advantages! (Besides being cheap and simple)

The Merlin engine, developed by SpaceX, is a prime example of a relatively simple yet highly efficient rocket engine. It powers the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy rockets. Here’s what makes the Merlin engine stand out:

1. Fuel and Oxidizer: The Merlin engine uses a refined form of kerosene as fuel and liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer. These are stored in separate tanks and pumped into the combustion chamber. But that was the good old days. Nowadays they use cow fart (true, they use methane)

2. Simplicity and Efficiency: This is hard so I gave it its own blogpost Gas generator cycle. But it´s for babies (Merlin pt2) (sophiasstarlog.blogspot.com) It uses a gas-generator cycle, where a small portion of the fuel and oxidizer is burned in a preburner to drive the engine’s turbopumps. This cycle is less complex than other cycles, making the Merlin engine easier to manufacture and maintain. 

3. Performance: Despite its simplicity, the Merlin engine is incredibly powerful. It has a sea-level thrust of 845 kN (190,000 lbf) and a vacuum thrust of 981 kN (220,000 lbf). Its efficiency and reliability have made it a cornerstone of SpaceX’s success12. 

In summary, rocket engines are marvels of engineering that operate on the principle of expelling mass to generate Boom Booms (I hate saying thrust for some reason). The Merlin engine, with its straightforward design and impressive performance, exemplifies how simplicity can lead to remarkable achievements in space exploration.  Remember, shoot for the stars starlogers!

SpaceX is a real underdog story. Do you guys want a spaceX history blog?