What is a Hybrid Rocket?
In it’s simplest form, a hybrid rocket is one that uses a solid fuel, usually some type of rubber or plastic, and a liquid oxidizer, such as liquid oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. The fuel is most often shaped into a cylinder with a hole down the middle through which the oxidizer passes. The fuel is vaporized and burns with the oxidizer, the products of which pass through a rocket nozzle, thereby producing thrust. A hybrid rocket engine is typically very, very clean, second only to oxygen/hydrogen fueled rockets. Hybrids rockets are much more reliable than their liquid counterparts (partially due a significant reduction in the number of moving parts). Unlike solid rocket motors, hybrid rocket motors are not explosive by nature. Also unlike solids, hybrids can be shutdown and restarted, and they can be throttled, though not to the degree generally available with a liquid rocket motor.
