So this gif of a space shuttle main engine starting up:

m.imgur.com/gallery/tgZ2WgA

The engine bell here is 2.4 meters in diameter. It's burning 1,300 liters of fuel per second and throwing the exhaust gas out at 3.6 kilometers per second.

Space travel is hardcore.

@starkatt And its fuel is hydrogen and oxygen; the only exhaust product is water vapor.

@starkatt This isn’t unusual in itself, but the RS-25/ Shuttle main engines circulated the liquid hydrogen fuel through the nozzle to keep it from melting.

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@cynosura @starkatt Oh! That's why nozzles looked like that had a human's worth of extra plumbing all around their cones! Today I Learned!

@kelseyhusky @cynosura If you're curious, this video is a good introduction to the subject!

"KSP Doesn't Teach: Rocket Engine Plumbing" -- Scott Manley [16:18]
youtube.com/watch?v=4QXZ2RzN_O

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