Subject: Space-tech Digest #148 Contents: Article on AMROC Atlas failure (3 msgs) Titanium slag query ISDC '93 Hybrid Rocket Firing Biosphere II Lunar Habitats Methane Combustion ------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Mar 93 15:28:22 -0500 From: dietz@cs.rochester.edu To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Article on AMROC The 3/1/93 issue of Aviation Week has a one page article on Amroc's current efforts. Amroc is currently firing a development motor (DM-01). It fired for 15 seconds on 1/22 and 10 seconds on 2/17. The motor will be fired two more times, for a total of 72 sec. The design has a planned average vacuum thrust of 248 klb, and average vacuum Isp design goal of 277.8 sec. Measured Isp in the first run was 276 sec. The engine is 73" in diameter and 32 feet long, with 18 million lbf-sec of impulse. LOX is pressure fed, using hot helium. Peak chamber pressure is 457 psia, average chamber pressure 361 psia. The nozzle is fixed, with thrust vectoring by LOX injection through the side of the silica-phenolic nozzle. DM-01 achieved close to the desired 6 degree deflection during the test. Each of these H-1800 motors weighs 81,500 lb fully fueled, with 22,000 lb of HTPB propellant and 48,500 lb. of oxygen. The impulse/system mass is about 15% worse than commercial solid boosters, but Amroc believes the cost will be lower. Amroc plans 3 more development motors and 2 qualification motors. A suborbital launch of a single H-1800 module will then be made. They have plans for two orbital launchers. "Aquila-21" uses two H-1800 strap on's on one central H-1800 second stage, a United Technologies Orbus 21 third stage and an Amroc U-75 rocket in the fourth stage. The U-75 is a hybrid rocket using self-pressurizing pressure-fed nitrous oxide (N2O) as the oxidizer (vapor pressure of 750 psia). Aquila-31 uses three instead of two strapons. Aquila-21 will cost $13 M and will lift 2,000 lb. into a 100 nm 90 deg. orbit from Vandenberg. The suborbital test is scheduled for 1995, with Aquila-21 following two years later. Paul ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Mar 93 07:59:43 EST From: Paul Carr X-To: AITGW::"space-tech@cs.cmu.edu" Subject: Atlas Failure? To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Does anyone know anything about an alleged Atlas/Centaur failure last night? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Mar 93 08:10:11 EST From: Paul Carr X-To: AITGW::"space-tech@cs.cmu.edu" Subject: Alas failure infor To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Just got a fax from GD. Failure was anomalous underperformance of booster stage. Centaur performed fine. Navy UHF payload is in orbit with a low apogee. Whether payload is salvagable is TBD. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Mar 93 19:36:57 -0500 From: schin@acs.bu.edu (neil schier) To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Titanium slag Hello (Excuse the naivete of the question) I know that Ti is used in a lot of space "equipment", for lack of a better word. A friend of mine has been asking me about Titanium slag. Ti slag, from what I understand, is a run-off, from which Ti pellets and funnels, are formed? But where does the slag come from? China, REgards Neil ------------------------------ To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: ISDC 93 Date: Sun, 04 Apr 93 17:45:08 -0500 From: jrh@tycho.ualr.edu X-Mts: smtp Hello. I am a new user on the Space Tech Digest and was wondering if anyone else on was going to attend the International Space Developement Conference 1993 in Huntsville, Al, at the end of May? James R. Hopkins Mechanical Engineer CoSET UALR ------------------------------ To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Hybrid Rocket Firing Date: Wed, 07 Apr 93 19:05:29 -0500 From: jrh@mayer.ualr.edu X-Mts: smtp SUCCESS! AT 8:45 PM on wednesday, March 7, we had the first full pressure firing of the lab scale hybrid rocket motor that I have been developing as part of my NASA & ASGC continuing education fellowship. The motor burned plexiglass with gasious oxygen for a total burn time of 45 seconds in two seperate burn phases. The first burn was for 30 seconds at which time the engine was brought to a complete shut down. During this first burn, the engine was throttled from 20% to 100% thrust. The same motor was then restarted and burned for another 15 seconds. The engine is made from commercially available parts and is to be used in a moble demonstration setup for taking around to high schools to get students interested in the Sciences and Engineering. The entire engine cost less than $100 to make and most of the parts are reusable. It appears that the year I spent with American Rocket did teach me something useful after all. James R. Hopkins Mechanical Engineer CoSET UALR ____ "Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live in the real world." --Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Apr 93 12:52:48 PDT From: james%trapper@sdsu.edu (Michael James) To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Biosphere Just a little point, wasn't the major problem with it the fact that they weren't doing what they said they were going top do, ie. have a sealed environment. To me that sounds a bit like bad science, whether or not it was a good idea. I think a lot of the probelms can be seen by compareing B2 to any functional system. There is a little animal life, more plants, and then lots of water. There was a long series in a fish magazazine about outdoor ponds and the amount of fish a given size pond could support. Its always lots less than you think. Also just look at those eco-spheres they sell, a little shrimp, some algae, and water. Just a thought. Michael James ------------------------------ To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Lunar Habitats Date: Fri, 16 Apr 93 13:47:07 -0500 From: jrh@curie.ualr.edu I was wondering if anyone of you have access to a good library with references for designing a good CLSS habitat for a commercial mining operation on the moon. I have access to a few old NASA reports from the 70's but cannot find anything more recent. If you can find any reports that would be helpful, I would greatly appretiate it if you would contact me at jrh@curie.ualr.edu. James R. Hopkins Physics Dept. CoSET UALR ------------------------------ To: space-tech@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Methane Combustion Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 12:33:14 -0500 From: jrh@curie.ualr.edu I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find information on the combustion properties of methane in an oxygen environment. I am trying to find such things as the heat of fusion, temperature of combustion, enthalpy of combustion, ect. Any help would be very appreciated. James R. Hopkins Mechanical Engineer CoSET UALR ------------------------------ End of Space-tech Digest #148 *******************