Current status of free radicals and electronically excited metastable species as high energy propellants

A survey is presented of free radicals and electronically excited metastable species as high energy propellants for rocket engines. Nascent or atomic forms of diatomic gases are considered free radicals as well as the highly reactive diatomic triatomic molecules that posess unpaired electrons. Manufacturing and storage problems are described, and a review of current experimental work related to the manufacture of atomic hydrogen propellants is presented.