Nasa has successfully fired a 24in-diameter, 109in-long solid rocket motor to determine the performance of new materials and designs.
The motor used propellant and a case reconfigured from space shuttle test equipment.
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The nozzle of the test motor has been replaced with a new design scaled down from the Ares I first-stage development motor that can be modified to accommodate different mission profiles or different sized vehicles, including heavy-lift vehicles.
Data from the test firing will help researchers understand the performance of the new nozzle configuration, processes and materials.
Marshall Center engineer Scott Ringel said that Nasa had extensive experience with thousands of materials used in the shuttle programme, but many have become obsolete because of environmental concerns or industrial trends.
“As new technologies drive the development of materials, sub-scale testing ensures we can effectively replace obsolete materials with new and improved options,” he said.
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By GlobalData
