A] This project is in the broad discipline of astrophysics, as part of my Masters in Vertical Astrophysics, specialising in Rocket Science. Within astrophysics, the field of rocket fuel is becoming...

A] This project is in the broad discipline of astrophysics, as part of my Masters in Vertical Astrophysics, specialising in Rocket Science. Within astrophysics, the field of rocket fuel is becoming increasingly important because the cost of fuel as well as the weight of fuel per kilograms of thrust is forming a prohibitive barrier to further space exploration. For an applied astrophysicist working in applied astrophysics, understanding the issue of rocket fuel customisation is key to being able to being able to execute a key characteristics of the job role: explosions. The applied astrophysicist is expected to have a thorough grasp of issues of thrust over weight ratios.
B] Data will be sourced from the Rocket Fuel Open Data (RFOD) project, a public database used to unify data from the Chinese, Russian, French and US rocket programs to accelerate development of Third Generation Rocket Fuel (TGRF). The data can be found at www.rocketfuelfunforscientists.org The RFOD contains performance data for twenty eight compounds, including payload, acceleration, flash temperature and General and Intermittent Explosiveness. I will also use data from the US Department of Rocket Defence USDRD website (www.rocketdefence.org) on the toxicology of rocket fuel emissions, which covers 24 of the 28 compounds in the RFOD database.
C] Do hydrogen based rocket fuels compromise safety (as defined by the USDRD toxicology ratings and the flash temperature data in RFOD) in achieving performance (payload, acceleration, efficiency, kilojoule/hour)?
D] The search terms you propose to use in Google Scholar to identify literature includes the exact terms “rocket fuel toxicology” OR “rocket fuel fumes” AND “rocket performance”. Studies will be limited to 2004 onwards, which is when the first generation of hydrogen-based fuels were introduced.
E] While third generation hydrogen fuels make use of the Baskin Robbins Molecular Effect to achieve additional efficiency (Einstein et al, 2005), these gains appear to have come at the cost of increased generation of hydrocarbon fumes identified as a carcinogen (Xavier & Jones, 2014). Lee (2006) argues that the cost of shielding astronauts from TGRF emissions presents a prohibitive additional cost not captured in current cost-benefit calculations.