A spectrometer system was constructed for measurement of transient species in flames by absorption of ultraviolet radiation. The output of a xenon arc lamp was used as the source of radiation, which was focused through the flame and onto a monochromator equipped with an intensified silicon diode array detector. The system was used to measure absorption by hydroxyl (OH) radical around 306 nm in ...

The thrust vector control problem for an upper-stage rocket with propellant slosh dynamics is considered. The control inputs are defined by the gimbal deflection angle of a main engine and a pitchingmoment about the center of mass of the spacecraft. The rocket acceleration due to themain engine thrust is assumed to be large enough so that surface tension forces do not significantly affect the p...

Static tests of horizontally restrained rocket motors at the ATK facility in Promontory UT, USA result in the deposition of entrained soil and fuel combustion products, referred to as Test Fire Soil (TFS), over areas as large as 30-50 mile (80-130 km) and at distances up to 10-12 miles (16-20 km) from the test site. Chloride is the main combustion product generated from the ammonium perchlorate...

Introduction: The most significant component in any bi-propellant rocket is the oxygen required for fuel combustion. This may account for up to 85%wt of the rocket propulsion reactants. Therefore, it is vital that locally produced oxygen is available from off-world sources to enable more economically viable space exploration to more distant regions of solar systems, and beyond. Our Moon in part...

This paper will discuss Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Propulsion Directorate’s theoretical and computational results regarding trajectory simulations, qualitative analyses and parametric studies of a 25-cm focal diameter Laser Ramjet (X-25LR) using Optimal Trajectories by Implicit Simulation (OTIS). OTIS has been used to produce an optimized trajectory simulation of a laser ramjet’s flig...