specific impulse
Noun
Meaning
specific impulse (plural specific impulses)
The ratio of the thrust produced by a rocket or other jet engine to the rate of use of propellant.
Synonyms
Examples
Air resistance and the engine's inability to keep a high specific impulse at a fast burn rate are why all the propellant is not used as fast as possible.
Although less efficient than the open-cycle design, the closed-cycle design is expected to deliver a specific impulse of about 1500–2000 seconds (15 20 kN·s/kg).
Although liquid hydrogen delivers the largest specific impulse of the plausible rocket fuels, it also requires huge structures to hold it due to its low density.
An antimatter -matter powered photon rocket would (disregarding the shielding) obtain the maximum c specific impulse; for this reason, an antimatter-matter annihilation powered photon rocket could potentially be used for interstellar spaceflight.
A typical, well-designed ammonium perchlorate composite propellant (APCP) first-stage motor may have a vacuum specific impulse (Isp) as high as 285.6 seconds (Titan IVB SRMU).
Antimatter rockets main An antimatter rocket would have a far higher energy density and specific impulse than any other proposed class of rocket.