On Thu, 2 Mar 2006, Alan B. Pearce wrote:

>> Afaik gas pressurized fuel feed for rockets was abandoned
>> since the 1950's. No ?
>
> What do you mean by pressurized fuel feed? The Ariane 5 rocket uses helium
> to pressurise the oxygen and hydrogen tanks during flight, to maintain the
> feed pressure out of the tank as the fuel is used AIUI.

Pressurized to engine inlet pressure. Which is not the case afaik. 
Everyone uses turbopumps for liquid fuel rockets. Even the WW2 V2 had 
turbopumps. Only small rockets may use something else as someone pointed 
out (and imho that would be a bad step because the heavy plumbing 
required to sustain chamber pressure is even more penalizing 
procentually when the fuel volume is small). But I only read about these 
things.

Peter
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