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> Seeing only the first paragraph, I already know that some rubber in the hybrid engine detached blocking the nozzle and causing the whole engine to explode. D
by seanflyon 12y ago
> Seeing only the first paragraph, I already know that some rubber in the hybrid engine detached blocking the nozzle and causing the whole engine to explode.
Does this same concern apply to plastic-based fuel? It does seem like a terrible idea to have people in the rocket the first time you try a new fuel mixture.
"During the nine months since the previous rocket-powered test in January, Virgin Galactic switched SpaceShipTwo's fuel mixture from a rubber-based compound to a plastic-based mix — in hopes that the new formulation would boost the hybrid rocket engine's performance."
- termain 12y agoThey tested the polyamide/nitrous engine back in May, I believe.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- Florin_Andrei 12y agoA hybrid has a few other failure modes too. One is called hard start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_start http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_start Another - nitrous oxide can become explosive in gaseous phase. If enough of it became gas, the oxidizer tank may have exploded. There are also inherent instabilities of hybrids - higher pressure accelerates the burn, which increases pressure, which... We'll know more after they finish the investigation.
- TrevorJ 12y agoBased on eye witness accounts saying that the engine appeared to fire once more after a flameout, the hard start scenario may indeed be at play here.