MTA Launch Event, 2023-09-14

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by Dave Nordling, President, RRS.ORG

The Reaction Research Society held a private launch event for the Aerospace Corporation at the Mojave Test Area on Thursday, September 14, 2023. RRS member, Jerry Fuller brought his team and experimental two-stage rocket for a proprietary technology demonstration. Osvaldo Tarditti was the pyrotechnic operator in charge for that event. No details of the launch were to be published by the customer’s request. We thank Aerospace Corporation for their continued business.

On that same day, the RRS received two pre-fabricated, air-conditioned office containers to the Mojave Test Area as part of our ever-growing facility upgrade plans. The society will have a 20-foot office container and a 40-foot crew cabin which will allow the Dosa Building to serve as a workspace for projects.

RRS member, Dimitri Timohovich, oversaw the inspections, unloading and placement operations.

The society is grateful to our suppliers, Falcon Structures and Get Hooked Crane Service, for their coordination and professionalism. The society is next planning the electrical power routing necessary to bring these assets into full service.

The society will hold a work event on Sunday, October 1, 2023, to continue facility improvements already underway including the modest photovoltaic array on the Dosa Building.

The next RRS monthly meeting is Friday, October 13, 7:30pm at the front office of the Compton/Woodley Airport.

MTA Firing Event, 2023-09-09

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by Dave Nordling, President, RRS.ORG

New RRS members, Derek Honkawa, Rick Maschek, Eric Beckner, Mike and Preston Brinker brought a LOX-ethanol liquid engine for static firing at the MTA vertical test stand. I served as the pyrotechnic operator in charge for that day. RRS members, Rushd Julfiker and Bill Inman were present that day to observe along with John Newman of FAR.

Their structure which bolted to the square hole grid supported parallel, same-sized run tanks, each with their own dome-loaded pressure regulators.

Each tank had both manual and remote venting. Each tank also had manual fill and drain valves at the bottom. The engine was supported on an angled sliding rail set firmly against a load cell. The chamber pressure measurement was taken from a side port covered by the ablative liner inside and the line to the sensor head was filled with oil to preserve the measurement.

The team started early that morning following their checklist that began with simple valve checks of the whole system in the completely empty condition. A few minor issues were found and resolved. Low pressure leak checks and valve function tests followed successfully. High pressure lockup testing for leaks were also successful. The team also conducted an igniter test to verify proper burn duration. Upon this careful sequence of initial testing, the team proceeded with propellant loading.

After careful review of their firing procedures, the pyro-op gave permission to continue the test. After air and road checks, a smooth countdown with properly confirmed ignition before valve opening led to a successful 3-second burn tailing off gently. After venting off all stored pressures and confirming a safe system, the test was deemed a success.

This engine was fired a previous time and the team opted to let this single test suffice. The team was well organized, safety focused and communicated well with each other and those on site. It was an excellent example of how to conduct a liquid rocket engine test.