ME-163 exhaust smoke

[Simaril]

Originally posted by slaker
Oxidizer was T-Stoff (Hydrogen Peroxide)
Fuel was C-Stoff (Hydrazine/Methanol)

*Methanol (wood alcohol) is just rubbing alcohol.  Not too bad unless you breath it, or it catches on fire.

Or, just for the record, if you drink it. Wood alcohol can make you blind and sometimes cause small brain hemorrhages in specific important areas.

Of course, drinking rocket fuel would DEFINITELY disqualify you as a rocket scientist....

[Tails]

Depending on altitude,  liquid fuel rocket motor may or may not produce a trail. As mentioned, the 163B's engine produced a kind of steam trail. At lower altitudes (and thus higher atmospheric densities) the steam trail may not be very visable at all, or be very short lived. At higher (15k-30k) altitudes these things would leave just as much of a vapor trail as the supercharged B-17's SHOULD be leaving.


Little factiod here: The STS (Space shuttle) main engines, which are LOx-LH2 fueled, leave no visable trail until around 20k ASL. The smoke you see until that point is entirely from the SRB's.

[indy007]

Originally posted by Simaril
Or, just for the record, if you drink it. Wood alcohol can make you blind and sometimes cause small brain hemorrhages in specific important areas.

Of course, drinking rocket fuel would DEFINITELY disqualify you as a rocket scientist....

But it would qualify you for a Darwin Award!

[Wotan]

Originally posted by 2bighorn
"In the earlier Walter motors for the Messerschmitt Me 163A Series, the "cold" reaction was initiated by a permanganate catalyst which stained the motor efflux purple.
 
Here (163B 109-509 Motor), the catalyst was more neutral, and the motor exhaust was much paler, with a yellow/green almost transparent colour until the steam condensed into a dense vapour trail in the air."

We are not talking about a vapor trail, How many aircraft in AH have a vapor trail? None...

I believe the original poster asked about 'smoke' .

Am I the only one that doesnt see a big plume of smoke from the rocket motor on the ME-163?

You would not have a vapor trail otd or at lower altitudes. It would be higher up where the air is cool enough to condense the trail...

Re-read the thread you will see 'smoke' mentioned over and over...

Let me correct the emphasis on your quote:

with a yellow/green almost transparent colour until the steam condensed into a dense vapour trail in the air."

[Creamo]

suppose it depends on the fuel, i mean shuttles use H and O2....which when "burnt" together creates water (duh ) hence the smoke (or steam....)

where as the 163 used some sort of acid based fuel???

You're thinking of the shuttle SRB's that make all the smoke. You can find the info on how things work.com.

[Overlag]

Originally posted by Creamo
You're thinking of the shuttle SRB's that make all the smoke which is not the same at all.

yeah im no rocket sicencetist

hell i cant even spell it

[Creamo]

I got that feeling. Anyway, look it up. Very interesting stuff. Its the AP motors that makes that kickarse flame/smoke.

[Elfie]

Thanks Wotan that was a good read. I learned some stuff in this thread....imagine that....

[Booky]

Originally posted by Tails
Little factiod here: The STS (Space shuttle) main engines, which are LOx-LH2 fueled, leave no visable trail until around 20k ASL. The smoke you see until that point is entirely from the SRB's.

This is true, the company I work for (APCI) supplies all the LH2 for Nasa, not sure if we supply the LOx or not.  I can't get over the fact that they load all that LH2 into those thin single walled tanks.  I hope to see one launch before they are retired.