First Live-Fire Tests of the Rainier "Atmos" Rocket Engine

@MarioG
Yea ikr? I didn't expect my comment to blow up like that lol. And I gained 16 subscribers from the popularity.

Lol i found you pinned on a surreal entertainment video

Probably somewhat @JohnnyBoythePilot

@Kell
Would aerospike (both toroidal & linear) engines have the same throttling issue?

@Kell
Oh ok, makes sense. Learn something everyday.

Some real life liquid engines can not throttle at all. Most can probably do 90% at sea level. The Merlin 1D can do 70% at sea level for landing purposes. The vacuum version however, is spared from the atmosphere and can do 40%. The Lunar module descent engine can do 10% in a vacuum. These are limited by other instabilities in the chamber and the plumbing. So the throttling capability from 0% to 100% in SR2 is rather unrealistic. @JohnnyBoythePilot

@Kell
Really? That would legit break the engine? Sounds more like it would just stall out. Why 17% specifically? Is there a power setting "range" to avoid continuous use in said range that would break the engine IRL?

Running at 17% throttle would break most engines in real life as the exhaust pressure would be much lower than the ambient causing the surface-atmosphere to rush into the nozzle and cause flow separation and much nozzle vibration.

Cool