100 inch solid
Stage · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Three-segment solid motor proposed for the Solid Titan II in the SLV-4 competition in 1961. Aerojet test fired motors with up to five segments, producing an average thrust of 268,000 kgf for 120 seconds.
The 100 inch diameter was dictated by the diameter of Aerojet's existing heat treating furnace. The segmented motor approach was dictated by the Air Force, since they required the motors to be moved by rail to Vandenberg, and a full-length motor could not be handled by the rail system. Aerojet fired four test motors, with the graphite nozzles disintegrating at 45 and 55 seconds into the burn in the last tests.