Patrick, you know?? that Dan & I fly rockets. Well, ATK uses an Initiator to light the Igniter, which then shoots flame the entire length of the booster so the whole thing starts burning at the same time. Kinda humbles us when the Initiator is just a tad bigger than the largest motor we use, which is just a bit smaller than that in the Sparrowhawk air to air rocket, from what I have been given to understand. Before I started my own company, the man I worked for sold the rubberized insulation used to insulate the steel from the heat of the motor, as well as center the propellant in the casing. We were making money hand over fist when the shuttles were so active, in fact, so much, that the manufacturer canceled our contract and then sold it direct to ATK. When the motor has burned out, there is less than 1/8". or so, of material left. The motor sections then come to the Freeport Center in Clearfield to Bldg H-5 (oddly enough, I worked in that bldg from '73--'78 for a farm implement mfgr). They are pressure-washed (36,000 PSI !) to remove any remaining insulation, or pigeon poop, etc., inspected, then sent to promontory for reloading. Really, they are just very large flanged pieces of pipe, but certainly not just schedule 40! 73, lh On 9/8/2011 4:54 PM, Patrick Wiggins wrote:
Same guy that walked in there before and lit the fuse? :)
On Sep 8, 2011, at 15:22, Larry Holmes<larry@kijoda.com> wrote:
Naw, they just used a guy with a garden hose.....73, lh
On 9/8/2011 3:04 PM, Daniel Holmes wrote:
Neat stream. I'd never seen the arm that went in and extinguished the flames before...
Dan
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