Why Can Sugar be Used as Rocket Fuel?
What makes something suitable as rocket fuel? We look at the chemistry and science of rocket fuel.
Do you think of sugar as something highly flamable and explosive? Me neither, but one of the scenes in the movie, The Martian, got me wondering if I might be wrong.
In one of the movie scenes, an astronaut makes a bomb using only sugar and liquid oxygen. Not your typically bomb making material. Curious I investigated further and realized sugar is even used in amateur rockets. In fact all sorts of things may be used as fuel: ground up PVC tubes and gummy bears. The Myth Busters tried out the latter.
This all makes it seem as if it is totally random what might be used as rocket fuel. However there is a pattern. E.g. you can’t use gummy bears as they are. They have to be dried and made into powder.
Maximum Surface Area
Why is it often important that the fuel is in powder form? Here is a thought experiment to give you a clue: Imagine throwing a cloud of powder in the air and somehow being able to ignite it. Around every powder grain there will be some air which allows combustion to take place. Remember nothing can burn without oxygen, or more specifically an oxidizer. If that powder was compacted into a…
