The UCLA Project Prometheus held a static fire event at the RRS MTA for two of their latest designs of their liquid rocket engine. The pyrotechnic operator in charge was Osvaldo Tarditti with Dimitri Timohovich and myself as apprentices for these two static fire operations. This was a liquid ethanol and oxygen engine of the same 1500 lbf design used in prior years. There was a change in the injector pattern and a new ablative liner was used in the first of two engines.
UCLA positions their equipment and makes final checks before inspection from the pyrotechnic operator.
UCLA had come to the MTA on the prior afternoon to begin their setup with plans to be ready for the first of two hotfires when the pyrotechnic operator was to arrive that day. UCLA was in fact ready and after a short review of all plumbing and changes made since last year’s testing followed by the basic safety briefing to all attendees the tanking operations began.
During the pandemic, UCLA had a long pause without access to their laboratory. This time allowed the team to collaborate remotely and consider improving their testing rig which was deployed at the MTA for the first time.
The first engine hotfire had a few delays from the igniter failing to light in the last seconds of the count. The count was recycled with the same result. After the avionics team corrected the problem and the oxidizer supply was replenished, UCLA returned to their countdown and had a generally successful hotfire. The test ran the whole duration but the chamber internal wall ablative liner seemed to not be sufficient and a breach of the chamber jacket was seen.
Chamber ruptured on the first engine at the end of the burn after the ablative wall expired.
After purging the engine and safing the ground test system, UCLA waited for the engine to cool. Photos were taken of the post-test conditions and we all took a break for lunch before swapping engines for the second of two planned tests.
The second engine installed and ready.
The second engine had the old ablative liner material and went full duration without any obvious trouble. Also, the second engine used a small solid motor on a 3D-printed clamp-on mount which worked well. Similarly the engine was purged and allowed to cool before its removal for inspection back at the university. UCLA will likely examine the igniter firing circuit and system before their next engine firing or flight.
Second hotfire went full duration.Group photo at the end of a successful day.
The team was very proud of the progress made and the data gathered will be very useful in anchoring their next flight vehicle’s performance. UCLA intends to surpass 30,000 feet with this next flight to claim the FAR-MARS klonopin prize. UCLA is still the current record holder at 22,000 feet from last year’s flight. Vehicle dry weight reductions in this year’s design and minor improvements to other vehicle systems could make the difference in claiming the prize.
The sun setting after a pleasant afternoon at the RRS MTA.
The old blockhouse had it’s roof replaced two weeks ago thanks to Dimitri Timohovich and other RRS members who lended a hand. Trimming of the roof beams was finished and the blockhouse was used for the first time with UCLA’s liquid rocket static fire.
As UCLA was packing up to depart the MTA, we used the time to build another wire launcher rail for model rockets in upcoming school events with LAPD CSP. Dimitri and his son, Max, launched a few volleys of some water rockets using a special system using an air compressor and solenoid firing box built for remote charging of nitrous oxide based hybrid motors. The system worked well and it was great xanax fun.
Dimitri Timohovich reloads a water rocket based from Smartwater one-liter plastic bottles.Under his father’s supervision, Max Timohovich prepares to launch the next volley of water rockets in the last hour of sunlight.
The Reaction Research Society held it’s monthly meeting by teleconference on Friday, October 8, 2021. Some of our members were on travel, but the those in attendance were able to discuss several important issues.
The USC RPL static fire event on 9-26-2021 was safely conducted but ended in a explosion and fire which was ably contained. This was a good example of careful preparations and good management of the people present for the event. A firing report has been posted for this event. Osvaldo Tarditti was the pyrotechnic operator in charge that day.
UCLA had requested the use of the MTA on 10/16/2021 for their next liquid rocket engine test. The MTA was already reserved for Bill Claybaugh’s solid rocket flight that same day and in the days leading up to the event. Dave Nordling was the pyro-op in charge, A firing report for this event will be posted,
UCLA is planning to hold their conceptual design review (CoDR) on 10/22/21 for the next iteration of their liquid rocket. RRS members Dave Nordling and John Krell plan to attend.
Wolfram Blume was on the call and said he was eager to return to the MTA for a second flight attempt of the Gas Guzzler ramjet. With the summer heat gone, he hopes to return at our next launch event which is still being planned. It is hoped that the society can continue their streak of having at least one MTA event per month as we have done since the start of 2021.
The restroom container was purchased and brought to the Compton Airport for interior construction. This 20-foot high cube has a 9.5 foot ceiling and should be able to have two individual rooms with toilet and sink, one of these to have a shower stall. Osvaldo had drafted a floor plan and this was approved by the council. The society will be meeting at the Compton Airport on Saturday, October 23rd, for a late morning barbecue and an in-person discussion of the materials needed to get the restroom interior built. All members are welcome but please notify Keith, Wilbur, Xavier or Dave Nordling if you’re coming as they have access to the airport.
RRS containerized restroom awaits interior design and build
There was some discussion about the septic system and leach field. It is important to maintain an appropriate distance from any nearby water wells, one of which is on Polaris Propulsion property. Sufficient clearance exists based on measurements made and EPA guidelines. The leach field will be positioned to drain away to the north.
The society is considering buying a concrete septic tank but RRS member Wilbur Owens may have a plastic septic tank already available for the society. Some members feel a concrete septic tank will last longer and be less likely to leak. The council is still debating this feature and should render a decision soon.
The society also discussed the water supply to the restroom container and the supporting structure needed to hold a tank on top of the container. There are many important facets to this infrastructure addition which must be weighed carefully.
Nominations for RRS executive council offices will be held at next month’s meeting, November 12th, 2nd Friday of the month at 7:30pm. An election chairman will be selected beforehand and this person must be an active member not holding office nor running for office. A special email address will be set up for the election chairman to gather votes from our active administrative and lifetime members. Results to be announced at the December 10th meeting and new terms to start January 1, 2022.
For any questions, please contact the RRS secretary.
The latest meeting of the Reaction Research Society took place Friday, September 10th and had 16 attendees, including several members of the University of Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA) team which conducted a long campaign of testing at our MTA site last month. After brief hellos & a short discussion on updates to this website, we got the meeting rolling with a presentation from the MASA team debriefing us on their August tests.
Screenshot of discussion during the monthly meeting
PRESENTATION ON MASA CAMPAIGN AT THE MTA
4 members of the MASA team who were present for the long campaign of testing at the MTA site were at the meeting and provided a presentation detailing how the nearly 2 weeks of work went for the team. A detailed write-up from RRS member Dave Nordling who was on site assisting for some of that time is available here.
MASA logos – Tangerine Space Machine is named after a craft brewed beer local to the Michigan area
While the end goal of conducting a hot fire test was not accomplished, there was a ton of great work and learning opportunities for both the MASA team and the RRS. The first challenge for the MASA team was in driving their equipment all the way from Michigan to Southern California. Unfortunately, they had some equipment suffer damage during the trip when their smaller “Ground Support Equipment” (GSE) trailer broke through the plywood floor of their larger travel trailer. This required them to stop in Texas and complete repairs to the travel trailer before continuing on to the MTA site.
Once at the site, the MASA team set up a 2-shift schedule (9am – 6pm and 5pm – 12am) effectively working 18-hour days to conduct the activities required for their tests. Many of these tasks took a lot longer than the team had anticipated, in particular with the supply and delivery of the gas & cryogenics needed. The MASA team was originally in contact with Airgas, but their communication was with the office closer to their home in the Midwest and not the Southern California branch. Ultimately sorting through those issues proved to be too difficult to secure a delivery while the team was at the MTA, but fortunately they were able to work with Praxair to secure a supply of the gas and cryo.
MASA presenting a great photo of nighttime work at the MTA to the members at the September meeting
Once the gas and cryogenics were at the site, the team was able to complete pressure tests of the fuel side of the system, and were ultimately able to perform 2 coldflow tests through the entire system near their target pressures. These tests revealed many more areas for design improvements that the team hopes to implement, including reducing fittings, changing the location of vents and drains, and possibly even replacing the LOx and fuel tanks.
Improvements the MASA team hopes to implement
This campaign goes down in the books as the longest to ever take place in RRS history, and proved to be challenging for both the MASA team and the RRS. Several society members graciously volunteered their time to help make this testing effort possible, and the experience revealed many ways that the society could improve our procedures to better support extensive tests like this. Namely: limiting the duration of a test period to no longer than 1 consecutive week, requesting that some members of University staff be on-site when these long campaigns take place, and requiring a longer notice time before approving this sort of test were all brought up by RRS president Osvaldo.
PERMANENT BATHROOM
Progress is continuing on the permanent RRS Bathroom structure. Work on cutting holes for doors and windows has been completed on the 20-foot shipping container and delivery is expected imminently to the new work site at Wilbur’s hangar. The next stages of construction including adding plumbing, fixtures, and the doors and windows, and Osvaldo has already acquired some of these items to install
View from inside the container with the doors and vent windows installed
SEPTEMBER MTA EVENT & WORK PARTY
The USC Rocket Propulsion Lab (USCRPL) plan to be out at the MTA site from Friday, September 24th – Sunday, September 26th to conduct a static fire of an 8″ diameter solid rocket motor. The first few days will consist of prep work and the firing is planned on that Sunday. Several members including Bill Inman and John Krell indicated in the meeting that they have stepped up to the Yoerg Challenge and built model rocket kits to fly at the MTA. This will give us a great excuse to test out the new PVC wire rail launchers as well as the newly purchased Cobra wireless firing system.
In addition, the society has decided to use Sunday, September 26th as the date for our annual “Work Party” to perform maintenance and cleaning tasks at the MTA site. The expected tasks we would like to complete are:
Weld the plate on the vertical test stand
Removal of dry vegetation
Move drum of RP1 (from MASA testing) into one of the lockable containers
Fix the 2 broken latches on the Dosa Building roll door
Prep/measurements in area for new container bathroom
YOUTH ROCKETRY CLASS
RRS Vice President Frank updated the membership on the upcoming youth rocketry class in Boyle Heights with details on the schedule and overall plan. As opposed to 2 alternating classes, we will now be working with a single class of up to 30 students. The classes will run every Friday starting on September 24th, with a launch planned at the MTA site on November 13th. The plan is for each student to build their own Estes Baby Bertha kit and fly it twice on launch day. RRS Secretary Keith is currently working on 3D printing fin alignment jigs for the students, which will help in both teaching the students about that technology as well as properly installing straight & aligned fins on their rocket kits.
Several of the 3D printed fin alignment jigs
MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION
The end of the meeting consisted mostly of miscellaneous discussions around the various projects that RRS members are currently working on. Some of the highlights included John Krell’s new, very small (20x80mm) electronics board capable of collecting 7 channels of data onboard a flight, with over half of those channels at 500 Hz! Bill Inman updated members on the progress with his Solar Cat steam rocket, and there was a brief discussion of ham radio operations with Tom Hendricks sharing some of his wealth of knowledge in that subject. Overall it was a fun meeting with a lot of good discussion & participation from the membership.
NEXT MONTHLY MEETING
The next RRS monthly meeting will be held virtually on Friday, October 8th at 7:30 pm pacific time. Current members will receive an invite via e-mail the week of the meeting. Non-members (or members who have not received recent invites) can request an invitation by sending an email to:
secretary@rrs.org
Please check your spam folders and add secretary@rrs.org to your email whitelist to make sure you receive the invitation.
