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August 17th 03, 02:55 PM

(Mike Andrews) wrote in message ...
In (rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors), Ed Engelken wrote:

Also, what kind of propellant/oxidant was used?

It was a two-stage missle with a solid fuel booster and a liquid fuel
missle motor. One of the liquid components was "red fuming nitric
acid" but I forgot the other component. It's been well over 40 years
ago, so cut me some slack!

If RFNA was one component, then the other probably was some form of
hydrazine -- probably unsymmetrical dimethyil hydrazine, which is
Nasty and Corrosive enough to make RFNA look positively friendly.

In the Warsaw Pact missiles, hydrazine was usually used as an ignitor
and the fuel was then switched to jet fuel (kerosene J1) that has a
higher energy content. Nitric acid was fuming since it contained 20
to 27% free N2O5. I believe it was stabilized with some kind of
chromium compound. Corrosion by nitric acid was not such an issue, it
was stored in pure aluminum that passivated itself. Diluted acid was
another story....

Jiri Placek
Boyertown, PA