Scientists at the Samara National Research University named after Sergei Korolev have developed a nano-satellite engine that runs on vodka (a 40% aqueous solution of ethyl alcohol). TASS reports.
“The scientists proposed a mixture of distilled water and ethyl alcohol as a working medium for the propulsion system. The low molecular weight of water makes it possible to obtain high rates of steam outflow and, accordingly, high speed of maneuvering. And the addition of alcohol (about 40 percent of the mixture) prevents the working fluid from freezing at low temperatures in near-earth orbits,”the university said in a press release.
The maximum mass of a fully fueled propulsion system will be 1.55 kilograms. The expected total speed impulse is at least 80 meters per second. The developers note that such engines can be installed on any CubeSat nanosatellite.
Samara University is the developer of the SamSat-218 nanosatellite, which went into orbit in April 2016 during the first launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome. Soon the satellite signal was lost. According to one of the versions, the loss of the signal could be associated with the strong rotation of the apparatus around its axis.
