#356 – Tim Dodd: SpaceX, Starship, Rocket Engines, and Future of Space Travel
Lex Fridman Podcast
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Principles of Converting Air into Supersonic Speed
The process of creating supersonic speeds involves condensing nitrogen into a high-pressure bottle and then shooting it through a dillevel nozzle, which initially constricts the flow to reach supersonic speeds. Once the air is at supersonic speed, it can no longer be choked down, so the flow is expanded, making it wider and resulting in increased speed. This process is comparable to water flow through a pipe, where constricting the flow accelerates it until it reaches the speed of sound, after which expanding the flow continues to convert pressure into velocity at supersonic levels.
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