PACIFI YO. i NOT June 1946PACIFIC ROCKETS, Journal of the PACIFIC ROCKET SOCIETY, INC. is dedicated to recording the develorment of a fueled reaction motors ani to reporting Society activities. Published quarterly by the PACIFIC ROCKET SOCIFTY, INC, 1130 Fair Cake Avenue, South Pasodena, California. Subseription Rates: With Corresponding Membership - $5.00 per year To libraries and organizations - $2.00 per year TABLE OF CONTENTS Aeros phe President's Desk (Edstorial) 22.2.2 eed Berekt Prvpres? 2 a) we isis nae eee as PE by R. We MacCarthy Sone Regutrements of Space Skip Design... +. ++. ++. 2 by Chostes WR. StiLtog Aerodynamics in Rocket Design . ee ean 4 by R. N..MacCae thy eas ee ee by BV. Sawyer Wajaue Wetee eae es Renesas eam E, V. SAWWER AND NCTOR MODEL 12Als The Constitution of the PACIFIC ROCKET SOCIETY, INC., 9 non-profit organization, provides: "the objective of the Society is to carry on research in the development, manufne- ture, and testing of rockets and nllied equipment, in the interest of scientific knowledge of reaction motor design, meteorology, and space Might", MEMBERSHIP Sincere interest in liguid fuel reaction motor development is the sole requirement for wenbership application. Classifications: Active Associate Assistant Corresponding Advisory. For information regarding mesbership, address the Corresponding Secretary. OFFICERS President! Edmund V. Sawyer Vier President Charles W. Skilling Seeretary-Treasurer: Richard W. NecCerthy Corresponding Secretary: Frederick W. Hallett Editor, ‘Pacific Rockets Robert D. Marsh PACIFIC ROCKET SOCIBTY, INC. 1130 Fair aks Avenue, South Pasadena, California PACIFIC ROCKET SOCIETY MOJAVE TEST AREA, Nojave, California MOJAVE TEST ARRAACROSS THE PRESIDENT'S DESK he precerious position of the Nations today can be understood by comparison with the Napoleonic Revolution which arose from the fact that the technology of the many small states of Europe raised their ability of mutual destruction to an intolerable de. gree. Success was not determined by right or wrong, but by quality and numbers of mus. Kets, cannon, ond supply equipment. By a°grest anount of bloodshed the "City States System" was forged into the present "Nation States System™. Now we have weapons which make it possible for ony nation, large or small, by cun- ning or surprise, to destroy the heart of another nation. Algo the present "peace" ta founded on Tooser sands than that of 1918 The outcome might be a world state, but probably at the cost of most of the world's peoples, cultures and treasure: The PACIFIC ROCKET SOCIETY, although small, is one’of the many direct approaches to alleviating the coming events. The work of the Society leads menbere to closer re. lationships with ¢rours in other countries ond other parts of the United States. ‘This work is also an outlet for the ingenuity of members in 4 may which will contcibute to the technological strength of this country. Inforsintion available to the group assists in giving reality to their dixcussions, and such discussions will influence their planning, ‘The concern of the members for the future of this country as well as the fascina- ting plans and hopes of rocket travel over the globe and to other planets, lead them to offer membership to any person genuinely so concerned and genuinely 80 interested. RECENT PROGRESS Recently the new stetic testing pit at the Mojave Test Area was the scene of spec- taculer long duration tests of Model 3, Model 10, and the XD-1 static test rocket motors The area's isolation permitted testing these larger units with higher fuel pressures then could be used at the South Fasadena headquarters. Space is provided in the pit for two operators and an observer seated at a control bench equipped with the propellant, oxidizer, and ignition controls, and pressure tauges, The static test stand, located twenty feet from the pit behind an earth barri- cade and bullet-proof glass window, is supplied with fuel, oxygen, and electric and hydraulic controls through a tunnel under the barricade. Rocket units to be tested ace bung from the stand on an orm attached to a ball-bearing shaft which permits col ibra. tion of thrust cither by the counterweight system or by means of the hydraulic thrust meter with a direct reading dial on the control bench Test motor Model 3 incorporates a copper combustion chanber, renovable copper nozzle inserts with assorted orifice diameters, end a stainless stecl oorzle retainer. Oxygen is injected from the side of the combustion chamber, and fuc! from the rear. Before injection, the fuel supply line passes through two holes drilled chordwise through the sides of the conbustion chamber where the liquid fuel acts as n coolant. The 200" orifice was used in this recent test and gave a thrust reading of six pounds at only seventy pounds fuel injection pressure, for a duration of fifty seconds Model 10 was selected for long duration tests because of its greater cooling area, and because its fuel capacity and nozzle size more nearly approach those of the XD-1 flight unit. Inter-connected grooves turned on the outside of the combustion chamber, over which » steel jacket is fitted, retain a large volume of liquid and gaseous fuel Prior to their injection in several intersecting streams into the chanher. While low injection pressures of from 30 to 70 pounds were used, the perfect functioning of this cooling system for an uninterrupted run of six minutes indicates that the XD-1 motor, with even better cooling and nozzle protection, will be capable of sustained operation at efficiently high pressures. In plotting the thrust observations of Medels 3 end 10 against pressures and nozzle orifice diameters used, and by interpolating results ob- tained from higher fuel pressures (up to 500 pounds) used in early tests on Models i ged 2, the computed thrust of 103 pounds for the XD-1 motor under flight conditions was ver- ified.Research projects assigned to committees of menbers for development have recently included ceramic nozzle inserts. The first ceramic molded insert was designed for use in the XD-1 motor, and was tested in this unit for » run of sixty seconds at sixty pounds injection pressure corresroniing to @ twelve pound thrust for this unit. Tt was then disassendled for exanination of the insert. With no damage apparent, the unit wos again asseebied for » longer test. However, a mishap occurred postponing further test. The fuel coolant lines had inadvertently become disconnected with the result that the jet escaped through these openings az well as through the nozzle. This fused the alun- imum fittings, which were screwed inte the coolant ports, and disintegrated the ceramic insert, blowing it out sz dust. However, good results with ceramic inserts might be expected with the improved coolant system design. Dr. L. Reed Brantley, advisory menber, has done most of the initial research on this project, while F. V. Saxyer has developed molding techniques. Another committee assigner! to fuel injection pump and motor design Promises interesting test reports for the next issue of this journal. While intensive ork has been donevon the pump project, it has been related to the design and construe~ tion of the XD-1 rocket, which remains confidential The frame stress and weight committee, beaded by R, D. Marsh, has nearly completed the structural assembly of the xp-1. This assembly together with the motor unit scheduled for static tests st Mojaye this summer, This structure represents mn uncon- ventional design, but a1! its new festures can be proven by static testing. ‘SOME REQUIREMENTS OF SPACE SHIP DESIGN fmong the most fascinating subjects before usare the possibilities end requirements of flight inte outer spoce: that is, Flight far above the earth's atmosphere. We now neesure flying altitude in so many thousands of feet above sea level; our present limit Es betxeen 40,000 and 65,000 feet. Our present speeds seldom exceed 600 miles per hour. Space flight, however, will no longer be reckoned in thousands of feet altitide, but in miles oF even thousonts of miles out from the earth. Speeds may be in miles per minute or miles per second. OF prime importance is the need for making @ space shin absotutely airtight. Vodern high altitude airrlanes haye what is called a pressure cabin. All openings such as doors, cable ducts, and pipe connections sre fitted with soft gaskets of rubber which seni against air leakage. A supercharger draws in the rarefied outer air and compresses it ‘to the cabin at a pressure equivalent to that found et 8000 to 10,000 feet. Here a smal] smount of leakage isnot serious since the supercharger can constantly be adding new siz to compensate for loss. However, in space flight at 100 miles altitude seals. must he perfect, for even a small leak could easily become fatal to the crew. Rapid toss of oxygen, which is consumed at » rate of about three pounds per day per man, would be ous singe it could be replaced only by an internal source such as the boil-off of the Liquid oxygen carried for the poner plant. Heating vital parts of the ship may or may not be a difficult probles. Planes flys ing in air at high altitudes encounter temperatures as low as 65 degrees below zero with such cold air ay several Inndzed miles per hour velocity enbracing the outer surfaces OF the plane. Heating under these conditions is, of caurse, a big fob, Rowever, the Space ship will pres through this region in a aster of thzee or four minutes and’ core out sbove the atmosphere. Mere the only weans of heat loss will be through compar- néively slow radiation. | he) moving on a eurse through sunshine, the ship way actualy receive. top mich heat. A polished metal exterior or wluninien painted surface mould prob- phly reduce the intake of sun heat tom tolerable anount. Tf moving through the shedow of the earth, either sone heated liowid from the power plant or from 9 small auxiliary heat ine unit could be esreulated through the ship. “The save fuel could be weed in either case. Hoxever, the amin poner plant will operate only for comparatively short periods fluring take-off and possibly for landing: therefore it might he well to discout fe ae ¢ ship heating souree end provide an autonatic thermostat controlled beating system for that purpose ‘A space ship power plant will consist mainly of fuel and oxidizer tanks with feed tines leading through high pressure pumps into the combustion chamber of the rocket motor, Here the continuous combustion blasts cut through the exhaust nozzle. The reac~ tion caused by throwing out this weight of fuel (in the form of hot gases) is the thrust‘which moves the ship. Naturally the higher the velocity of exhaust, the greater will be the reaction thrust, Hence we will seek to attain the very highest possible pressure Sllosable within the strength ond heat-resisting limitations of the materials used in Construction, and consistent with the fuels used. Also, the injection punps must be Cepebie of susplying fuel st a higher pressure then that maintained in the combustion chanber. Adequate injection pumps were probably first developed by the Germans for the ¥-2 rocket. If liquid oxygen is used, it must be remembered that its very lov tenperature mill reduce steel and other ferrous alloys to only about five per cent of their normal Strength while the bronzes and other copper alloys lose very little strength. Flow eters and pressure gauges will be engineered to requirements dictated by the choice of fuel and oxidizer to be used. A water-borne vessel can steer hy means of a rudder becouse of the dynamic pressure of the moving ‘ater against the rudder, the ship's bull, and the keel- Airplanes maneu- ver in three dimensions beeause of the samo principle; i.e., dynemic pressure against the various control surfaces. Since the space ship is moving in a total vacuum, wings or vanes of any type would be of no purpose For space flight, then, "e could steer by use of dynamic pressure in the form of suall euxiliary rocket jets. By using various combinations of these auxiliary jets throueh masuzl of robot control, the orientation of the ship's longitudinal axis with respect to the earth could be changed, but without altering the course of flight, and rotation of the ship could be controlled. After orientation of the longitudinal exis hes been changed, course of flight covld be altered only by application of the main tiriving jets. The methods used for take-off will probably vary with the size and type of ship. Perhaps take-off will be from some sort of cradle mounted on a turnceble with euide rails adjustable fron 45 degrees to vertical, Sone type of cataoult could possibly be used for initial momentum, after which robot Acceleration controls might be desircbie for fuel economy and safety, since it has been calculated that best efficiency will be attained ahen the t2ke-off is between 2s and 3g. acceleration. The late Nicolai Tesla stated that ve should some day sce flying speeds at 450 miles per hour. This now seems to be very conservative. Enthusiasts of outer space flight tolk of speeds of seven miles per second. Perhaps the answer mill cone with further development of atomic powerB, THE CONCEPT OF MACH NUMBER Suantitative investigations into the compressibility tiehavior of pases at and sbove acoustic velocities have, of necessity, been largely coofined to experiments on gases moving at these velocities relative to static objects deflecting their flow, rother than under the opposite conditions of rocket behavior in which ve are interested. Buty column of gas moving through tube, however snel!, vill beheve in much the sane way as the vir surrounding a rocket in flight, and dota obtained from the simpler experinent may be generalized and spplied to the more complex practical cose, Furthermore, such data will be used directly in determination of nozzle efficiencies onl optimum eharber Prescures in the second article of this series: Neil P. Bailey of the General Electric Company has given detailed conclusions of such experiments in the "Journal of the Acco. Rautical Sciences” of July, 1944, and it 4s to this paper that we are indebted for sone of the following expressions. Noth nunber (designated by the symbol M) is the ratio of the Flow velocity of a ftrear of gas to the local velocity of sour! in the gaz at a given paint, The variable N prices two of the three variables cormodly used to describe the state of a moving Res, in the general gas equation. : PY = RT where = absolute pressure in Ibs./aq. ft., V= velaeity in Tt./see., R= gan constant fn terms of fn.-lbs., Ft., OR (degrees Ronkinc) gaits, meal Te vietie tener eae nant Let V,= the velocity of somd, or nccoustic veloctey. Then v= yer Where Y= adiabatic ges constant, 1.395 for dry air #80)F.,. g= acceleration af ecavity, Then Nach number may be defined mathematically as we ye yer Hence "k? represents any change in the ratio of controlled or directed kinetic enerey The Dace mane RnOTRY of individual molecules regordjess of what causes the chavee” ARE Mach pusber slnost always occurs in eavation as M2, and rarely as M, Soasmct ae the equations of gas flow involve both the thermal energy andi directed tinecie enerey the ext article in this series will indicate means of direct application of this fpocent end of graphic analysis of/esperineits on restricted gas flow to the determin, tion of nozzle efficiency PREVIEW jhe Society, in building the conponent sections of the XD-1 woilél of its rocket, tas rigidly followed the original design awl engineering principals which ineivie rs eth Mio rirecting tense fom Mitutes a: eteBitity ecian Which will oanure eareet tacton or muedirecting thrusts, and.en unusually low masscratio for @ anal] anit, Thie last terme 48 portly due'to propellant and oxidizer tanks weighing less than one pol Cail FeiacReety, 18 aise building intoiits pode n Fivespoint safety system which, at {hough Sinplay “eéauizes ignition switeh.to be on) safety Manhiagn to be clearer caine Refee any (test Pia to be locked, and 200 pounds Pressure to be applied to che iaweree before the unit would be dangerous: StS thought is’ nlseibeing given over to: design and conssriGtidn'of a péractaite pechenism vidch willl avoid fouling in vacuum and opetmte celther by lass cf vee by Tee. Bouny ntmepteres arelvbieh will be adsstuble within lanitations of rocket crane. ture; Equal attention is given to! fuels which reduce back renoti on Further reports covering these matters will probably appear in later issuesMOJAVE NOTES A bricf description of the Pacific Rocket Society private testing area for readers fot familiar with this important phase of the Society's work: Situated at Lat. 34° 81 30" and Long. 118° 6* 38.8", seventy-five miles from Los Angeles and ten miles from novhere. Living quarters, proposed machine shop, observatory and static testing stands and pits are Incated nenr the northeen boundry, end are sur- founded by an electric fence. Uncompleted launching site iz approximately 200 yards to the south. Fxcept for 9 300 foot hill neer one corner of the area, the desert is level for several miles in all directions. The aeather, generally pleasant, con produce terri- fically hot ‘lays in suener apd Freezing nights in winter, Altitude about 2800 feet. Here menbers of the Society carry out controlled tests, and work on equipment. De- spite rumors, this is not » married man's retreat. Dick MacCarthy attempted to take » photograph of Model 10 being tested at night,but just as the comera shutter opened, = vagrant particle of metal vaporized causing purple streake in the jet. For Sefety, Pu Sevyer (who was at the controls) closed the oxidizer valve, Iceving the comera faced with a twenty foot bonfire of propellant ejected through the nozzle. The picture was never printed, Fd Sawyer, out of curiosity, romoved the nozzle from Model 2 end ran # thrust test with the combustion chamber open. The conbustion chamber af this model is }i" diameter and 5/8" long. The minieture motor surprised all by producing three to four pounds thrust at 30 psi which is nearly that produced with the nozrle. Of course nearly twice the fuel and oxygen nere used On arriving at the Test Area on 9 recent trin, Dick MacCarthy end Ed Sawyer found the kitchen comer of the dugout submerged under a pile of weeds, twigs, tinned food, staples, brass fittings, and spaghetti. A short time later Mr. Fack Rat cane trotting in end, mildly surprised, stopped behind a bullet-proof bomber nose to regard the ex- perimenters with a pained expression, Ed, never far from his :22 automatic, wes foiled, but "ith considerable jockeying, the beast was finally executed and disposed of with ceremonies traditional to the ares. However, that night Mrs. Rat was lusy scuttling about. In the morning she continued to leer through sections of the nest which still remained. Ed rose on his elbons in bed and took # pot shot which caused a minor ex- plosion of a bottle inside the pile, coating the cupboard with mustard. A thizd shot took effect, but leter investigation showed that @ can of pea-soup was neatly drilled. Charley Skilling, using 4 (medium power) eyepiece on the 3" refractor was project ing a 10" inoge of the sun on a screen to observe sunspots. He injudiciously left the cover off the finder, thereby vaporizing the crosshairs. Crosshnirs were reputedly glemed by the constructor of the telescope, Fd Seuyer, from a blonde. ~ Boring the record duration test of Model 10, a dozen or so steers grazing in tne region approached the enclosure with mincing steps. Soon the Test Area was surrounded by excited bovines. When the terrific noise of the motor wes stopped they were heard noking strange baying sounds. The most interested and appreciative audience we've had, Charley Skilling, somevhrt ahead of official schedule, bas plans for the Mojave Test Area shich include teke-off and landing facilities for manned rocket units.