Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Strand, L..
Pluto is the only planet in our solar system not yet visited by our spacecraft. Recent observations through the Hubble Space Telescope have given us a glimpse of Pluto and it's moon Charon, but their small size and immense distance from earth have preserved their mystery.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In an effort to complete the initial reconnanissance of our solar system, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is designing a mission to send two very small spacecraft to explore Pluto and its moon, Charon.
A status report is given on the results for the completed tests in a series of motor firings being carried out to measure the effects of the parameters that are considered to most strongly influence the scaling to larger rocket motor sizes of the transition to/or threshold conditions for erosive burning rate augmentation. Propellant burning rates at locations along the axis of the test motors are measured with a newly developed plasma capacitance gauge technique. The measured results are compared with erosive-burning predictions from a supporting ballistics analysis. The completed motor firings have successfully demonstrated response to the designed test variables. The trends with varying propellant burning rate, chamber pressure, and mass flow rate are consistent with existing results, but no pronounced effect of surface roughness has been observed. Rather, the influence of propellant oxidizer particle size on erosive burning is through its effect on the base, no-corssflow burning rate.
Low pressure combustion instability tests on solid propellants, and pressure oscillation rate of depressurization
Low pressure combustion of solid propellants noting extinction, aluminum concentration, oxidizer particle size, etc