260 inch diameter solid rocket motor - largest ever made

[Winston]

The largest diameter solid rocket motor ever made and the highest thrust rocket motor of any kind ever made. Propellant burned at 6 tons per second rate. It took three months around the clock to fill with propellant using many small batches; elevated temperature cured for three weeks; cooled for two weeks. After the mandrel was withdrawn technicians were lowered into the core to inspect for defects. The SL-3 test produced over 5 million pounds of thrust.

Thrust: 17,695.30 kN (3,978,062 lbf)
Gross mass: 831,345 kg (1,832,801 lb)
Unfuelled mass: 85,321 kg (188,100 lb)
Specific impulse: 263 s
Specific impulse sea level: 238 s
Burn time: 114 s.
Height: 18.29 m (60.00 ft)
Diameter: 6.60 m (21.60 ft)
Exhaust candlepower: 3 million

https://www.astronautix.com/a/aj-260-2.html

https://nasawatch.com/archives/2015/03/nasa-forgot-the.html

GREAT video overview of manufacture and firing:

https://youtu.be/o4BkDQjM2Jc?t=22m4s

 

[Nytrunner]

What is that, 50% AE?
An AE17,695(k)....(plugged)? lol

Someone pull Orbital ATK's catalogue and check what the SLS boosters run!
I know they're an AE (5 gr reload), but I don't remember the percentage.

 

[prfesser]

Cool! My L3 was a 7.5" 260 Space Booster scaleup:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/eirp_36.htm

Best -- Terry

 

[ksaves2]

I think one of the empty casings is in the ground there too. Kurt

 

[KenRico]

Thats ALOT of Wimpy Red !

Kenny

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Rocketry Forum mobile app

 

[MClark]

There are videos on YouTube where people have recently gone to the site. Motor casing is still in the hole.

 

[LithosphereRocketry]

What's the cert timeline look like on this? Pro6600 Cstar?

Sent from my LGL44VL using Rocketry Forum mobile app

 

[Winston]

What's the cert timeline look like on this? Pro6600 Cstar?

Sent from my LGL44VL using Rocketry Forum mobile app

Shipping costs would be problematic, but at least in that case the hazmat fee won't be more than the shipping.

 

[Winston]

Cool! My L3 was a 7.5" 260 Space Booster scaleup:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/eirp_36.htm

Best -- Terry

Neat. I didn't even know that model existed.

 

[rstaff3]

Cool! My L3 was a 7.5" 260 Space Booster scaleup:
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/eirp_36.htm

Best -- Terry

Very unique subject!

 

[mccordmw]

I wanna see the snap ring pliers they'll need to use on the case.

 

[DavidMcCann]

do they still have the mandrel?

 

[Winston]

[video=youtube;rmtzFNy1t3U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmtzFNy1t3U[/video]

[video=youtube;tOYKdJqX1HQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOYKdJqX1HQ[/video]

 

[Nytrunner]

At 15:50, did anyone else see that small smoke trail and think "There goes the igniter pellet!"?

 

[aerostadt]

At 15:50, did anyone else see that small smoke trail and think "There goes the igniter pellet!"?

In a way that was the igniter pellet. I remember a story about this static test years ago. I am thinking it was Life magazine. Anyways, the static test motor was igniting by a vertically flying rocket initially positioned at the bottom of the test motor. When the small rocket was ignited, it flew out of the test motor igniting live propellant all the way up the bore as it flew out. Talk about a novel ignition system.