Successful First Launch of Aerospike Engine

ScottKin writes "CSULB announced that on September 21st they achieved a milestone in aerospace engineering when they successfully launched their 'Prospector 2' rocket powered by an 'Aerospike' engine. What makes this remarkable is that even NASA had trouble with testing their incarnation of an Aerospike engine - but the Linear Aerospike Engine is quite a different beast. More info on this definitely-newsworthy even can be found at the California Space Authority website."

Comments

I ask everybody ...

[Aceticon]

... out of respect for the family of the just deceased web-server, no slashdotting jokes please.

Successful?

[Fzz]

After a smooth countdown and nominal engine ignition, the thirteen-foot long P-2 quickly accelerated up a 60-ft launch rail and entered stable flight. Several seconds later it abruptly pitched ninety degrees and demonstrated unstable operation until finally transitioning into a ballistic terminal descent. The subsequent impact with the desert floor destroyed student payloads provided by a USC/JPL team and another from Cerritos High School, but the aft section with the aerospike survived relatively intact. Preliminary analysis indicates that the most probable cause for the observed flight behavior is that part of the engine's graphite exit outer ring experienced excessive and asymmetric erosion, which in turn created a side thrust component.

I guess that's a form of success. But there's probably a reason why everyone else is still doing ground tests.

Re:Successful?

[Lord_Dweomer]

"The subsequent impact with the desert floor destroyed student payloads provided by a USC/JPL team and another from Cerritos High School"

Jesus, they were carrying students on this thing?!?!?!

lbf? Newtons? What about Elephants?

[SkiifGeek]

What's the idea with all this lbf and Newton units of measurement?

This is Slashdot for fsck's sake, let's hear about it in terms of elephants, swallows carrying coconuts, the size of San Francisco or SCO licences.

The rationality that is creeping into Slashdot is disturbing.

Re:Sadly

[gilroy]

The launch was successful. The landing, however, needs some work... :)

Re:thanks! did you see the foot?

[tektrix]

Uh . . . I think you're a bit confused here. The aerospike engine tested with the rocked develops 1000 lbf or 1356 Newtons/M, and the shuttle generates 2,174,286. That's 1/1603 the size of the shuttle. I think you were looking at the stats provided for the Boeing angine. All that said, the test vehicle could easily lift several 10's of gerbils. I imagine that the gerbils would hate the part about "transitioning into a ballistic terminal descent"