Breaking Barriers

[F104A]

National Geographic is playing the TV show Breaking Barriers on Wednesday, May 7, at 8 PM and again at 1 AM. It is about breaking land speed records. I'm told it is a good show. If you miss it they will show it again on May 14th. Up here in the Northwest, it is Comcast channels 673 and 273.

[Duramax]

If this is the F104 jet LSR guy here's something interesting on Ebay (that should not be there):

I know nothing about these, but it's still interesting.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/S-75-cruise-missile-liquid-propellant-Rocket-Motor-/171321778352?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e392e0b0&vxp=mtr

The Ruskies did a "fake" ITAR deactivation on it.  It is the second stage motor for the SA-2 SAM with throttle capability.

Bad news is it's a hypergolic liquid engine with turbopump using RFNA (Red Fuming Nitric Acid), so you have to have a serious expert on board to handle it safely, and it's toxic as hell.  But way safer than solid motors.

105 lb for the engine with 7700lb force, it should make full rated power within a second or two.  It should reduce the distance required to get full thrust out of the turbojet, and unlike solid fuel motors, you can kill it or cut the power in 1/2.

[RichFox]

I have Direct TV and it's on at 5 and 10pm today

[manta22]

Wow..$12,000. Maybe I should put my Nike Ajax rocket motor on eBay. 2500 lbs thrust, RFNA & hydrazine, new- never fired, Aerojet-General.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[jet966]

I went to DirecTV to schedule recording of the episode when I also ran into:

Green Wheels : Hydrogen Fuel Cell; Buckeye Bullet

...so I'm recording that too. Others might also be interested.

[Duramax]

Neil:  I imagine whoever buys it will get a full body cavity search everytime they enter an airport for the rest of their life.

The post was kind of Tongue In Cheek.  You can't legally import that into the USA without a special permit.  Capping the chamber is not deactivating by US standards.  It has to be destroyed, sawn in half, etc, for sale.