How Deep Would the Water Ice Layer Be on the Moon?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the depth of a water ice layer on the Moon resulting from the combustion of Aerozine-50, a fuel used during the Apollo missions. The fuel consists of hydrazine and dimethylhydrazine, oxidized by nitrogen tetroxide. Given 2701 kg of Aerozine-50 and a circular area of 1.8 km in diameter, participants determined that the ice layer should be modeled as a cylinder due to the Moon's flat surface at this scale. The density of the water ice is specified as 0.92 g/cm³.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of combustion reactions, specifically involving hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.
  • Familiarity with the properties of water ice, including density calculations.
  • Basic knowledge of geometry, particularly the calculation of volume for cylindrical shapes.
  • Ability to perform unit conversions, particularly between kilograms and grams, and between kilometers and centimeters.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the chemical properties and combustion reactions of Aerozine-50 and its components.
  • Learn about the methods for calculating volume and depth of materials spread over a surface area.
  • Explore the implications of lunar surface conditions on the distribution of water ice.
  • Investigate the historical context and significance of the Apollo missions in lunar exploration.
USEFUL FOR

Students in aerospace engineering, researchers in planetary science, and anyone interested in lunar geology and the implications of water ice on the Moon.

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Homework Statement



During the Apollo missions, each lunar module decelerated toward the surface of the moon by the oxidation of "Aerozine-50" fuel. Aerozine-50 is a blend of hydrazine, N2H4, and dimethylhydrazine, CH3()2N2H2, 50% by mass in each component (known to infinite precision). Nitrogen tetroxide, N2O4, was used as the oxidizing agent.

c. Determine the depth in centimeters of the equivalent water ice layer (density = 0.92 g/cm3) deposited on the surface if spread evenly over a circle 1.8 km in diameter.

Homework Equations



Assume that 2701 kg of Aerozine-50 was used in each deceleration, and that each component underwent ideal combustion according to the following unbalanced reactions:
N2H4+N2O4→N2+H2O (1)
CH3()2N2H2+N2O4→N2+H2O+CO2 (2)

The Attempt at a Solution



All I'm asking is if the ice layer is going to be cylinder or a sphere? I know how to do the problem I'm just not sure which they'd like.
 
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You have wrong parentheses in dimethylhydrazine, it should be (CH3)2N2H2.

Assume cylinder - at this scale surface of the Moon can be considered flat.
 
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